I'll know in June what my budget is liable to be, but around £12-14K was where I was hoping to be when I first thought of this. The red Delorean I looked at in 2002ish (online, never got to go and see it) was in exceptional condition - but red - and was £10K (slightly less, actually, from memory). Less is obviously better as I'm also working towards getting into a state where I can afford the house we're renting at the moment; I'm a photographer and writer so I can generate my own work and have increased what I do by taking on more clients (though I've been happy making well below the norm for that peer group).
It's all been a bit up and down, but having finally sold the house we had in Scotland, my ex & I made a small profit (we had to drop the price by over 30% - when we put in on the market, Scotland's norm was "offers 30% over" asking, so the hit was huge), last month my current partner & I found a perfect farmhouse that the seller had given up on selling and decided to rent out (so we've got a year to sort that). I should focus on that and not be thinking about sportscars and indulgences, but I could - as the saying goes - be hit by a bus tomorrow. In which case, I'd have insufficient cash to do anything meaningful sitting in a bank account, never have owned a Delorean, and it would all be a bit sad. Anyone wanting a haunted Delorean should apply now.
I think the Delorean would be a nice little vehicle to show up for the odd shoot in, but my reasons for ownership are far more emotive, I just love the cars.
Last time I was a little put off by some of the user reports of expense and reliability, which is another reason why I don't want to sink a huge amount into one - I'd like room to fix it when things do, inevitably, go wrong. And if they don't, I see that one firm will stick a slightly perkier engine in the back for £7K...
Interior work is obviously not such a big deal. What I want is something that drives safely and well enough to get around the country occasionally, and looks okay on the outside (no dents or massively warped fascias), has a good MOT and a decent chassis and suspension setup and an engine as healthy as you'd reasonably expect of a PRV. Doors which work right are a bonus.
I prefer grooved fronts to flat fronts, even though I know the later models have a lot of improvements I'd value.
TBH, just being able to view one up close, sit in it and see what the visibility is like...
I'm happy to tinker with electrics and upgrades as long as the basic car will drive and so forth.
The other consideration (which if I had the money, and it wasn't in NI, would swing me towards one I've seen) is finding one I can put an A-prefix cherished number on. It's not a very important consideration though.
I'm quite risk-averse, so the only way a car will be flying over from the US is if I've already won a different kind of lottery and it's been rebuilt in a certain Southern state, and it'll be carrying a twin-turbo conversion.
If anyone was looking at losing a garage/wanting a reasonable fee for an extended loan (I know that depreciation isn't really going to be an issue, but I paid £200/month for my RX8 for example on contract hire; I'm happy to consider a DMC-12 as a "contract hire" car), but I think it would only be something people would do for other existing and well known club members.
The most interesting cars I've owned? It's hard to pick one and none of them have been terribly exciting, so here are some favourites, rather than "interesting".
2006 RX8 - lovely cars, amazing handling, shame about the lack of torque/clutch on the motorway (M6 J21-19 became a sort of personal hell for me)
2008 Citroën C6 - I've yet to see another one when I'm driving it
1987 Citroën CX
And of course, the wonderful little Toyota Sera. I got quite well known in the Sera club for a while (one of the Sera owners also had a Delorean and an Avantime, basically a man after my own heart; I tried to buy an Avantime but couldn't bring myself to spend £17K on one locally when I'd seen them going for nearer £10K at the time elsewhere).
I've also got a fondness for Golf GTi Mk IIs, and other Citroëns with the right suspension. And I've had a Porsche 924S (which is a 944 Lux, not an LT Van coupé) and driven a few interesting things. I've started collecting the cars I've owned in 1:43 scale - found a model of the rare Visa Decapotable last month.
I'm sending off my membership form and crossing my fingers.
Also, if anyone DOES have a project that ends up cheap... well, I'm never short of optimism. I can't weld, though, so chassis repairs would scare me. Buying parts and replacing them does not