Why is a Delorean a bad investment?

I helped my brother buy one a few years ago, and no lie the owner cried when they put it on the tow truck.

 

No doubt overjoyed with his luck at finding somebody to haul it away.

 

Is that the Delorean that is at the Shell on Bird and the Palmetto?

It's been there for a while... My neighbor asked about it as well to restore it and the mechanic that works there said that he wasn't interested in selling it... go figure... It's just rotting away...
I still kind of like them...

 

Tears of joy.

 

This thread is a pretty funny read!!

Unless you can turn a fair amount (volume) in cars, cars are not an investement (why don't people get that=)

Time, tax, parts, storage, etc eat any real profits you think you can make buy buying 1 car, fixing it and resellng it to someone else.

If you can get a Delorean for $500 or (even $1,500K) that runs, why not... clean it up, TLC, drive it and if you can get rid of it for a little extra than you paid for it, then go for it.... just don't expect to retire on fixing up a Delorean or any other car for that matter =)

 

Think about it. Its there dead with 2 flats because nobody wants it. So wheres the investment?

 

My biz partner has two Deloreans. One painted red as a daily driver.

The first one he bought in the mid 90s for about $8k and he has been offered over $30k for it in the past year. If you get a pristine one it will probably never go down in value as there will always be a select few people who will want a mint version. Hell I saw A pontiac Fiero Pace Car sell for over $20k a few months ago...a FIERO!

Almost any car that is percieved as 'special' will retain value if you keep it mint.

Personally I think they are hideous BUT his car generally gets more attention than either my 355 or my viper... so go figure...

 

All because of a movie.

 

Man!!!!!!

M.A.S.K was the best damn cartoon on tv PERIOD........then Silver Hawks and then Thunder Cats........I was in love with Chetara......

 

I dont think so. His job was transfered to another state so he had to sell it. He really didnt want to, as a matter of fact after we nego a price and he agreed, he said why dont you go home and think about it.

Just because you dont like one does not mean there isnt a market for it. I once saw a pie bird collection that was valued in the 10's of thousands. Not that I even knew what a piebird was before that day.

And looking at autotrader, (they might not be selling for this, but look at the average price)

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?advanced=&bkms=1145457581774&certified=&isp=y&search=y&lang=en&search_type=both&make=DELOREAN&model=&start_year=1981&end_year=2007&min_price=&max_price=&distance=0&address=78232&x=89&y=16

 

I want one just because I thought they were cool when they were new (I was in 8th grade). Buy what you want and just forget what other people have to say about it. Drive it for a while and sell it. Someone will buy it. As for an "investment", can I have a show of hands from all those people that have bought a driver's 308, used it, then sold it for a killing? What's the difference? It's all about personal enjoyment anyway. Who cares what kind of car it is.

 

you want cool???? check this out.... www.bttfdelorean.com/

 

Sorry to bump this thread but I think some of you guys are being a little too harsh on the DMC. I've owned two of them, my most current one I just sold last week (regrettably!!!). I used it as my (for the most part) daily driver for at least six months and let me say this; the car has been totally reliable, is extremely comfortable, has better A/C than any Ferrari of the same vintage could even dream of, and is actually rather frugal on fuel consumption. Of course the car is a rolling attention magnet, needs little constant tweaks and fiddles with the door latches, etc...but for me, growing up as a child of the excessive '80s, that car represented its era perfectly, and from the time I watched Back to the Future for the first time when I was five, I always said I'd own a DeLorean. And I honestly can't complain about either of the cars I've had, except for that the first one was an automatic and was deathly slow. My last one was a 5-speed, which is what these cars need. As for driving them in the winter, they are excellent in the snow! Lots of weight, particularly over the rear axle so good traction abounds! I drove my car through a Chicago blizzard with Michelin Pilot tires on it and did not have a single problem with grip. And besides, if you're lucky you might find a Colombian present when you remove a door panel

So don't give the car a bum rap unless you've experienced one first hand! They're not as bad as some make them out to be.

Cheers,
Aaron
'82 GTSi

 

I've always thought Deloreans were really cool. I'd love to own one myself someday, but I gotta get my Ferrari first.

 

What kind of engine does a Delorean have?. If i remember correctly they have somekind of Volvo/Isusu engine?.

 

The DeLorean has a 2.85L PRV(Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V-6 engine rated at an estimated 130 horsepower. Sure they're not fast but they're a great pleasure to drive and the car can get more attention than cars worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for a fraction of the price of those. The car is reliable, the engine is basically the same engine that is used in a Volvo 760 and 780 which were used in the late 70s/early 80s. Also not sure if you know this but the whole body isn't stainless steel. The body is fiberglass with a stainless skin attatched. The basic frame design and suspension comes from the Lotus Esprit. Why wouldn't it handle well and be less reliable than an average every day car?

 

Originally De Lorean wanted an American V8, but because of cost (so I read), was advised by Lotus - the consultant in the project - to take the new V6 Douvrin engine instead.
The single-overhead-camshft all-alloy 90 degree 2.6lL/ 3L V6 Douvrin (called Douvrin because of the town where it was built in Northern France) was a cooperation between Renault, Peugeot and Volvo. Volvo used it only on its Bertone Coupe. Renault on its R30, Espace and Alpine, Peugeot on the 504 Coupe, 604, etc...
This engine was built for Europe, and had to be detuned to meet US regulation, that's why on the DeLorean 'it could pull the skine of a rice pudding'.
I am really surprised of the interest about the DeLorean.
To us Brits, it left us with a bitter taste: De Lorean was a scheming crook who took British taxpayers money to finance his lifestyle and left a bankrupt company. We were not surprised to see him involved in drugs either!
The car was absolutely rubbish!

 

Someone oughta pickup where Delorean left off.

Make a new one that will be more powerfull and yet reliable. Redesign the car itself but keep the orginal gullwing doors.

 

This is a simple case of supply and demand. The supply of kooks with far too much money is less than the demand of Delorean owners looking for same.

Have fun with the car, but don't expect to turn a profit without somehow addressing the above.

 

From what I understand the only year worth investing in was an 83 due to being that last year of production. It's not an investment for now but more of a fair priced enthusiast’s car. It maybe another 20 years or so until we start seeing prices get interesting on these cars. In the meantime, here's some info I obtained from Manheim Gold.
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William,

I bet that the DeLorean scandal was the biggest goof the British gov't ever made! I know there was an absolute fortune invested into the company. The idea seemed right, help get Northern Ireland's economy boosted a little, etc..however I agree that JD used that money to keep his affluent lifestyle.

But as I understand it from a local DeLorean guru here in Cincinnati, there is some guy in England who's snapping up every DMC he can get his hands on, restoring them over there then supposedly selling them for loads of money.

I'd almost go so far to say that if I had a spare $70 grand lying around, I'd purchase a "brand new" DeLorean from DMC in Houston, Texas. Apparently the cars are 100% brand new using the NOS parts from the original factory. They're even sold with a bumper to bumper warranty! If I lived in Texas (and had the spare discretionary income!) I think I'd like to dabble in "new DeLorean" ownership. Hell, with all of the updates they have developed, the cars have to be pretty reliable overall.

Cheers,
Aaron
'82 GTSi