Low mileage DeLoreans just keep popping up! This one was recently purchased from an estate where it had been parked since 1994. It’s claimed to have only covered 11k miles since new, but the seller has not been able to get the engine running yet. The key had been lost so they are having DMC make a new one. Apparently, they tried to start the car and are just getting a clicking sound at the starter solenoid. They suggest that the engine would run after replacing that one part, but I’d want to inspect the whole car before assuming that that’s all it needs. Cars are usually parked for a reason and it could have been for one small issue or a whole multitude of them. Obviously, you will need to go through all the major systems anyway before driving it, but it is always a good idea to know what you are getting into before spending this kind of money. Especially considering the fact that time travel isn’t really a possibility! Find this one here on eBay where the reserve has been met with only a day of bidding left.
My goodness, if the starter clicked add battery power to be sure that is not the cause. If there is positively adequate voltage from the battery, then jumper past the solenoid; put a socket wrench on the crank pulley bolt and turn the crank over. If it won’t turn, then you have a problem. Cars aren’t necessarily “parked for a reason” mechanically, sometimes the owner is ill, dies, takes a job elsewhere. Life goes on. There is no need to be allergic to this. What I’ve described can easily be done in a half hour.
There are several cars in my memory that people thought were going to be worth a fortune given some time. The last VW beetle convertibles were another, many were purchased and put away for investment in the future. Unfortunately it seldom worked that way. There are many on the market and prices are soft. Although, interesting when new, these were never a good car. The Sweedish/French engines were junk even when in the Volvos and the cars build quality was marginal, These cars will never be very popular with the collector crowd.
Here is what you get, when buying from a flipper, unless you have the unusual situation where the “f” is not just about the money:
the car history is gone, if not bought from long term owner.
You don’t know where the car has been this whole time (back east, or other where cars rust).
You don’t know the reason why it was parked many moons ago.
Don’t really know the mechanical history.
And
you get to pay double or triple or more the price.
I’d say it’s only money, what the heck ?
AND I agree with Dave W.,
these cars were not that great to begin with, which may be the reason why a lot of them were parked….long time ago
We’ve seen a number of Deloreans with very low mileage come up for sale. Agreed that some of these cars were parked for a reason: they were bad cars, and maybe people just stopped trying to get them to be good cars.
I don’t mean to be overly harsh, but Deloreans had only 3 things going for them: 1) stainless steel body 2) gullwing doors 3) rebel GM exec’s name on them who wanted to out-do Detroit.
Unfortunately none of them was enough to make the Delorean a good car.
You forgot # 4 , and the best reason:
TIME TRAVEL, but only if you could get the flux capacitor going !
I’m thinking the flipper is thinking the 80’s crowd will jump on this because of the history of the movie “Back To The Future” like the 69 Chargers and the “Dukes of Hazzard”. The only difference is the 69 Charger is a decent dependable car without the show behind it.
Horseradish, are you implying that this delorean is possibly rusty? i have worked on several of these and can assure you that is very little that could possibly rust. the bulk of the car is fiberglass with a stainless steel skin, neither of which rust. I will say from my experience working on one that came out of long term storage that they are very tedious to get to run correctly after sitting. Be prepared to spend some serious time and money ressurecting this one.
Frame rusts out pretty bad on these cars..since the frames were made out of mild steel with a crappy epoxy coating that barely lasted a few years..as the mild steel frame FLEXES and the epoxy ages.. it cracks the epoxy coating and then all hell breaks loose with the frame rusting out… BIG TIME !!!
I m tired of Deloreans.. b o r i n g…. lets move on.
It seems they are trying to claim its been parked since 1994 because his son lost the key, uhuh. Creases in the stainless body, etc. Sold for $19,700, I hope the buyer only wants it to drive it, if they can get it running, that is.
You fellas are funny. They already ARE popular among collectors. That’s why good ones fetch double their original asking price… and even disasters like this go for 20.