Category: History

I’ve received a lot of positive comments over the years about this blog. I’ve also seen my blog posts referenced online when Delorean owners are looking for help. Before I started my blog, I regularly reviewed similar blogs for how-to procedures, as well as the materials, vendors and costs associated with projects. I thought I would reference some of the other blogs that inspired me, and still use regularly:

http://www.projectvixen.com – I checked this blog continuously in the early 2000s. Someone buys a disassembled Delorean, and documents the experience, and costs of resurrecting the car.

http://www.1561project.com – Another blog about resurrecting a neglected Delorean, and the costs associated with the project.

http://www.noroads.com/delorean/ – Another great Delorean maintenance blog with tons of pictures

I searched the DML for any reference to 16908. Surprisingly, someone had posted about it in 2005, and it was not the current owner. So I sent an email to this previous owner, and got a response back. FYI, I’m hiding names to protect people’s identity. This was the reply:

Ed,

I’m glad to hear the car is getting a good home.  I did sell it to ____ last fall and actually saw it a few weeks back while on a business trip to Cincinnati – like all of his work it looked and sounded great.

As to my history with the car, I bought it a couple of years ago as my second DeLorean restoration project (my first was VIN1494 that I still own). Although the interior was a mess, the engine & transmission were in good shape.  More importantly this car basically had the straightest, closest to perfect body on a Delorean that I’ve ever seen as well as a perfectly rust free frame. After buying it I changed jobs, moved, and simply ran out of time.

I actually bought 16908 out of the Auto Trader from a guy in Macon Ga who had purchased it at a sheriffs auction in McDonough, GA.  This guy basically bought it solely to turn around and only had it for a few months.  As to why
it was sold at auction, the former owner (prior to the one I bought it from) had left it at a mechanics shop and failed to pay the bill – the deadbeat owner was the second owner.  After it sat there for six months or so the shop placed a lien against it and the Henry County (GA) Sheriffs Department auctioned it off on the courthouse steps (I gave ____ all of the original, notarized paperwork from the auction).

Anyway for what it’s worth I don’t think you can go wrong buying the car from ____ – he does work and is a great guy who genuinely loves these cars. Like I said I saw it a few weeks ago and frankly wish I had the $ to buy it back myself.

Let me know if I can provide anything else. Best regards,
_______

It’s really great when the previous owners of your car can give you so much information on it. I’m so excited to be buying this car!!!

It all started with this post on the DML:

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Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:25 pm (PST)

I have a 1983 Black interior with the light gray carpet combination now available. The potential buyer backed our for financial reasons and for those of you watching it has been updated on DCMtalk for the past three months. The car has 23,918 miles.

The car has mostly new fuel system, new brake system, new rear brake hoses, new tires, fresh powdercoated wheels, CD player panasonic 3034 I believe with mp3 and remote input, new kicker 4×10 speakers in rear, new front speakers, refurbished dash, binnacle, New leather seats, A posts, and knee pads, clean carpets, new relays and fuses, New Toby door launchers, new window motors, the upper half of the motor has been rebuilt that part was documented on the DMCtalk, looks like a new torque converter, new front and rear main seals, good refurbished motor mounts, replaced fan blower motor, new otterstat switch, new oil pressure regulator, new headliners, new weatherstrip, refurbished front and rear fascias, most other parts have been refurbished or tested out. Also have reinforced the torsion bar area but in this case it looks like the 83’s had a factory patch as they had rivits in the plate where 81 and the 82’s I looked at did not. This was in good condition.

Struts all work some have been replaced. New glove box, most bulbs replaced, replaced faded side marker lights, undercarriage on this car is clean no signs of significant rust (some rust on bolts and a few chips in undercarriage epoxy that will be cleaned up before the sale. Its one of the cleaner undercarriages I have seen in a while.

The transmission has had the reverse switch and the gearshift relay connectors resealed as has the dipstick and the transmission pan gasket has been replaced along with the kickdown cable and the computer governor.

We also replaced the windshield.

I am asking $XX,XXX for the car and it comes with a limited $1000 parts warranty for 6 months to the purchaser. This covers most major parts like engine, tranny, brakes etc but does not cover cosmetics, road damage done after the car is purchased, or light bulbs type stuff. If interested I will give you the details.

If interested call me or e-mail me off line.

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Seemed too good to be true. Exactly what I’ve been looking for, and it’s been refurbished with many new parts by a very respected member of the DeLorean community. After a few emails, and a phone call, I decided I was buying it.