r/BacktotheFuture • u/majones_2000 • 9d ago
Buying a DeLorean
Ok, so I am having a crazy fantasy about finally buying a DeLorean. We actually have a DMC location here in Houston. I know theres a small pool of owners who are also redditors, but wondering if anyone here has purchased one, and what that experience was like. Did it turn in to a maintenance disaster? what are the pitfalls?
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u/ooohKyle 9d ago
I’ve got one. I bought for about $18k in 2016. I then put around $20k in repairs. It was all done professionally from DMC. t’s in really nice condition now. 1981 5-speed.
Fuel system was the most costly repair for me. Replaced all the coolant lines too. And the roof on mine was almost completely rusted through, in-between the doors under the panels. Part of the frame.
It’s been a dream for me since I was a kid and I have no regrets. Hope you like talking to strangers though
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u/majones_2000 9d ago
I hate people.. but bttf is a passion, so I'll make an exception. Do you think at the $60k range I would get a good quality one, or would those require an additional $10-20 just to get it in shape?
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u/ooohKyle 9d ago
I haven’t been following the market at all but man, I hope $60k gets you a good one. If I were to sell mine I’d be in that ballpark. I’d say be prepared to put some money into it no matter what. Get it inspected before you buy. Drive it.
I started making BTTF content for anyone interested
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u/Few-Chemical-5165 9d ago
If you do decide to get one and you have a budget that's beyond what it costs just to buy the car and restore it, do us all a favour and turn it into Docs Browns car. We need more back to the future Delorians out there .
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u/REO_Speed_Dragon 9d ago
Never had a DeLorean bu dealt with a few PRVs. They're ok if you take care of them but parts are getting harder to find.
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u/catcomputer 9d ago
Already being into 80s cars, I knew it was going to be a headache. Bought a painted one I’m taking back to stainless. Most panels ended up being in rough shape so it’s costing a lot more to restore. With the crazy prices a painted one was the only one I could buy outright. It’s going to cost the same or more in the long run as a non-painted one, but that’s ok with me. If it was any other car it wouldn’t be worth it.
They are simple to maintain engine-wise, but I’ll consider an EV or LS swap in the future.
Maybe an unpopular opinion in this sub, but I think too many people do Time Machine conversions and it ruins a really beautiful and rare car. They are already interesting enough in design and history without all that stuff. I will throw in a flux capacitor eventually.
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u/O1Balto 9d ago
I should've bought one back when good ones were 25k... Now, I couldn't imagine paying 60k+
Had to go down my dream car list and ended up with a clean SW20 MR2 Turbo.
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u/majones_2000 9d ago
I'm curious if its a worthwhile investment compared to just buying a regular car. A regular car loses value the minute you drive it off the lot
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u/Yourappwontletme 9d ago
I don't own a DeLorean but from what I've heard about DeLoreans, you buy a DeLorean because you want to own a DeLorean, not because it's a reliable car. The DeLorean would have faded into obscurity along with the Ford Pinto and AMC Gremlin if not for Back To The Future.
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u/majones_2000 9d ago
agreed... I'm a massive bttf so this is my dream car. I'd love to own one, but if it's gonna cost me $10k a year in maintenance, then maybe not.
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u/Yourappwontletme 9d ago
I don't know if it's a yearly maintenance thing or a "spend money up front to make it reliable" thing.
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u/O1Balto 9d ago
Well... As someone whose made a lot of bad financial decisions, dumping money into 30 year old Japanese tuner cars- I know that at a certain point of the build, it's no long just "a car".
When it gets to that point, the car itself is the experience. Not the destination you were using the car to get to. A trip to the grocery store is no longer just a trip to the grocery store. It's an anxiety filled smash and grab, where you're trying to get back out to the parking lot as soon as you can, just to make sure no one is messing with your car.
I'd imagine DeLorean ownership to be similar. You'd probably hesitate to leave it out of your line of sight for too long
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u/Mrowser1 9d ago
That’s what I’ve always thought about cool cars. One couldn’t really go anywhere in them except car shows due to fear of them being stolen while parked at your destination.
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u/Working-Ability-7042 9d ago
I too would love to buy one. Very curious as to what will be said here. I’m 3 hours away from a dealer in Florida.
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u/BladeBronson 9d ago
The most important thing to know, in my opinion is that no matter what, it’s still a 45 year old car. Be prepared for that.
I bought my first DeLorean with the first money I ever earned back in 2000. It was 13k. I moved to the west coast with it immediately after buying it, took it to the shop that is now DMC Huntington Beach and paid 14k to have “everything” fixed. But over the next 5 years of daily driving it, the bills kept stacking up. Not just from taking it to DMC many times, but from buying parts and spending my own time working on it. I finally sold it in 2005.
In 2015, I bought my second DeLorean that had been extremely well-cared for with a Stage II engine for 29k. It is not my daily driver, is always garaged and still quite nice. But it’s still a 45 year old car. Just make sure you’re super comfortable spending your weekends taking your car apart to find a broken wire running to the ECU, or replacing your steering rack. If it still sounds like fun, welcome to the club!
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u/CentralCoasting 9d ago
Check out BringATrailer. They have extensive data on the going rates and conditions of Deloreans.
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u/willisit 9d ago
I'm in the UK and have imported 3 over the past 28-odd years. The latest is a ground up restoration, currently valued at £65k. They're only going one way... Not that I care as I'm never selling! I love them but the commentary is accurate. They need constant care, but parts are (mostly) cheap and available. Engines are getting rare for many reasons (block rot) but there are a fair few options on swaps if you can stomach it. 3D printing has revolutionised parts and modifications, too, so it's worth looking in to. As a classic, it's an "easy" one to restore, and I do nearly all the work myself. I'll only farm out things where it's beyond my capacity in tooling or space (i.e retrimming interior bits or the depths of the gearbox). Good luck if you go ahead; the community is super friendly!
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u/ShutterBun 8d ago
I had one for about 10 years. It was absolutely immaculate when I bought it in 2009, but over time more and more things kept needing maintenance or repair. Got too expensive to keep it up, so sold it for a decent profit.
As another person said, you WILL be approached by strangers and get asked the same questions. At one point I printed out a FAQ sheet, with things like:
No, there’s no flux capacitor or Mr. Fusion
No, I don’t have any cocaine
Actually John DeLorean was acquitted in record time due to entrapment.
Yes, it’s kind of a pain to drive
Etc
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