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Old 08-05-2005, 01:55 AM   #1
Mrguy
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Looking Into A Delorean

Hi I drive an Acura Integra, and have always wanted a Delorean. Ever sence I was a kid they've intregued me so much. I've just recently strongly considered it and wanted to check out forums and find all the information I could.

What are things I should look out for?
I've heard Deloreans will rust underneath, and that you should check or have pictures of underneath the car.
Are Deloreans reliable, my friend suggestest I'd check forums because he had a friend that had a Delorean that would break down every 2 weeks.

So just any information would be awsome. Ive checked out www.delorean.com and other websites too.

Thank you! And hopefully some time Ill be a proud owner or a Delorean.
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Old 08-10-2005, 01:54 AM   #2
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Deloreans are as reliable as the previous owner took care of them. If the previous owner negected it and never had any updates done, drove it hard, or let it sit for years and years, then you will have problems with it. My previous owner had updates done, won a couple trophys at car shows and basically took good care of it. There was a couple things that I needed replaced on it when i first bought it because it had sat for about 9months(still within a safe time period for sitting without starting it at all) right before I bought it . After those minor repairs were done, I start mine up and drive it about twice a week with no problems, it's not my daily driver though, I just drive it for fun on my days off.

It's best not to buy a Delorean that has been sitting much longer than 1 year. The fuel system gets all messed up and could take thousands of dollars to get it running right again. Yes, the frame can and does rust. It's best if you buy a Delorean from a dry climate area that doesn't salt the roads for snow. California, and Arizona are good places to buy a Delorean from. Or, if you know that the previous owner never drove their Delorean during the winter months and kept it in the garage, then thats fine too.

When you go to look at a Delorean, when you first start the engine, let it idle for a while to make sure the fans in front are working. The fans should go on after about 10 minutes or so of non-movement. If the fans never come on, then that means they need to be fixed otherwise the car will overheat and cause more serious/expensive damage.

The fuse box is under a removable board behind the passenger seat right underneath the netting. Check and see if any of the fuses are melted or if the wiring looks like a rats nest. The fuses and the fuse box can be replaced, but if the melted fuses look really bad then you'll probably need a relay upgrade

Make sure that the previous owner(s) had all the recall work done. The trailing arm bolt is the most important recall that should have been done.

If the owner has reciepts, shows you reciepts of at least once a year of maintenance, drives it at least a couple times a month, you don't see a lot of build up of rust underneath(There will usually always be at least a little rust for a car that old, just use your best judgement of what looks like a bad amount), then you should be ok.

Also check to see when the car last passed an emissions check. I would also run a carfax of the VIN if you get to the point you are really serious about buying a certain one you've looked at. Carfax is only $20 and can save you thousands of dollars if you find out that the car has a salvage title, failed multiple emissions tests, or has a speedometer mileage rollback.

thats all I can think of at the moment. Hope that helps.
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Old 08-10-2005, 05:38 AM   #3
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Excellent post, very informative.

Thanks timetraveler!
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Old 08-10-2005, 10:24 AM   #4
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Your welcome,

There is also one other thing I forgot to mention. Once you turn off the ignition, wait about 5 minutes and then turn it back on again to make sure it doesn't have a hot start problem. Hot start problems are a big problem for some Deloreans, but usually can be easily fixed when you replace the Fuel accumulator, which costs about $250 if I remember right.
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