Hi all,
Just wondering how much everybody spends on maintaining their DeLorean each year? I am mostly interested in those that have a car in great condition already and just need to spend money on the usual maintenance rather than an ongoing restoration but all input would be useful.
I am trying to get some kind of idea as to how much it might cost to keep an excellent car in the condition is deserves to be kept in.
It would also be particularly useful if you could also say if you do the work yourself or have it done for you as well as the sorts of problems that seem to face Delorean owners on a regular basis.
Much of this will certainly depend on how much you use the car and how it's kept so I guess some idea on that would be handy also.
Thanks all
I will break down my essential costs since i bought my car in December 2006.
I have spent thousands on non essentials so they dont count....
Also not including Tax, Mot tests (mines never failed in 6 years) and insurance.
I work in the motor trade and i get labour very cheap from fellow local garages....
February 2007 - Otterstat failed
Tied in with a service of Oil, Filter, Plugs Etc £100 all in including parts
November 2007 - Change Clutch, Slave cylinder, adjust handbrake...£400 all in.
January 2009, New Starter Motor, Oil, Plugs,Coolant, aircon gas, £250 all in.
Had trouble during 2009/2010 and got through several sets of plugs, etc... problem turned out to be leads. A cheap new set were also rubbish.. About £100 rectified the problem with a new coil, dizzy cap, rotor arm etc
2011 - New gas door struts... £89
2012 - Heater Core Failed. I saved on labour and changed my main radiator which i akready had in a box since i bought the car... the most expensive repair yet at £550 in parts including an oil and coolant change. If i bought the radiator and had a garage do this job I reckon you'd be looking at a 4 figure amount including labour costs..
But essentials for me in 6 and a half years total to ... Just under £1500. Thats £250 a year... but I am a very fortunate DeLorean owner and I have had few issues compared to some of the horrors I have heard.
I can easily say i've spent double maybe triple that on non essentials...
It can soon spiral out of control, and when you have other cars you have to have a fine balance. I also have a mark 2 fiesta XR2, A Bmw M5, a small motorcycle im looking to upgrade soon amongst other toys...
The DeLorean is without doubt the best....
But as many will tell you, it is an expensive toy!
MrP
In all respects my DMC has the same servicing schedule as my regular runaround Renault - servicing is the usual yearly oil and filters change, no great expense there, and a general check over, replacing old and worn out bits as necessary.
You can spend a lot of cash and time on a DMC if the cars neglected when you buy it, but the cars nothing special mechanically and certainly well within the capabilities of the DIY mechanic. The worst thing you can do to a DeLorean is leave it in a garage unused. 8)
bjbrownie Wrote:The worst thing you can do to a DeLorean is leave it in a garage unused. 8)
+1!
My car needed some recommissioning so it had:
-UK requirements, full set of new front lights from Dave H, along with new tyres all round
-Fuel system - new tank, pump, boot, seal, pickup hose, filters, stainless braided fuel lines
-Stainless braided brake lines
-Oil pressure sender
-Otterstat
-Ed's front springs
-Door mirror glass
-Upgraded relays
-All fluids flushed and changed along with new belts.
-Centre headliner re-trimmed
-2 dents removed on drivers door, 1 dent removed on t-panel and full re-grain
-Starter motor
-Clutch
That was back in 2011 when I first got the car.
Since then (outside of non-essential items that I've bought to upgrade/improve the car) it's get's an oil and filter change twice a year, air filter change, and a greasing of the ball joints. Probably about £70-£80 a year tops. Factor in a flush of the brake, clutch, and coolant fluid every 2-3 years, around £20 for a 5L tub of brake/clutch fluid, and about £45-£50 for two 5L tubs of coolant. Change your alternator and a/c fan belts every couple of years, under £20 for the pair.
I need to do the distributer cap, rotor arm, plugs, and ht leads on mine this year, about £90 all in for the parts.
As bjbrownie said, the key is to use them and not leave them sat around. I try to take mine out every 2 weeks at a minimum.
My car sits in the garage constantly, only being taken out on occasions of accessibility for myself with compliant weather, BUT, I DO have my dad turn over the engine, allowing it to get up to full running temperature, about once every 2-4 weeks. Starts first time, every time, no issues. (touching wood all the way! :wink: )
Thanks to everyone who has posted so far....some great info there that gives me a clue what a year in the life as a Delorean owner is like
Well for the most part this is encouraging. I was expecting the average figures to be much higher than what has been posted so far. I was personaly hoping for £1000 a year or less (not including tax & insurance) and it seems like this could be realistic.
This makes me think that if I have a couple of thousand set aside for any major issues (as a precaution) and then work on the assumption that I will need £1000 a year for maintenance I should be ok? As long as I get a good car to begin with of course...which is the hope.
Those of you who have the work done for you...do you have any trouble with local garages not wanting to work on it?
Also, most of these routine parts are readily available?
Apologies for all the questions....
Chris Williams Wrote:This may give you an idea though:
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?3062- ... (and-drive)-a-Delorean
Chris
This guy has one of thee nicest cars around. For recreation he puts it on a lift and waxes the frame. It is spotless. Still needs maintenance and parts though.
There was another guy on DMCTalk who set out to maintain his car on $500 last year (maintenance costs only), doing the work himself. He wss trying to dispell the myth that it costs a fortune to keep these cras. He was at $400 when his radiator failed. His car is on good condition and he drives it alot, probably 10k miles last year. It was an interesting thread, as several people fealt that he should have include some sort of pro-rata amount for tyres, etc., as his may be $500 one year and then $3500 the next if he was deferring maintenance to prove his $500 point.
Parts. It's a mixture. Some readily available here in the UK, if you know what to ask for. Some parts have to come from America or Holland, and other parts are no longer available, meaning you either have to make them, or recycle/repair what you have.
As for garages. I had a couple saying "I'm NOT touching THAT!" but overall, mostly the guys in the garages appreciate the chance to play with them. I used the argument (which seems to have convinced them in the end) that the car is of that era where it really is just a glorified go-kart. Easy to work on, as long as they are careful not to break anything along to the way, or advise me of what they may need for a repair or maintenance jobs, then all they have to do is tell me in as much advance as possible, and i'll go about finding it for the next time, or in some cases, the next week for a revisit to them.
I've had some close shaves trying to get something fixed last minute, requiring a part QUICK, so that I could take the car to an event, but always made it.
When I was taking the car to Belfast, I literally managed to get the car fixed with one hour before I was having to leave to catch the Belfast ferry back in 2011!! Wow! that WAS close! pheeeww :wink:
Rissy Wrote:Parts. It's a mixture. Some readily available here in the UK, if you know what to ask for. Some parts have to come from America or Holland, and other parts are no longer available, meaning you either have to make them, or recycle/repair what you have.:
Oh, thats sounds like a real nightmare, making or repairing a broken part...that sounds like a nightmare...I do hope there are not too many parts like this and that they would be reltively simple to repair/make?
I did think that would probably be the case in regard to garages, with some being interested and other a bit dubious of going anywhere near it....guess I would need to ask around my local area nearer the time to see what reactions I get.
I can imagine it would be a little challenging to fix anything significant on these cars if it's less common part when you are in a rush....the fact that you have always prevailed though gives hope...glad you haven't had to miss an event due to that
Following on from the parts that are no longer available...other than how easy these parts are to make/repair...what sort of part are they....are they just cosmetic or more serious?
Also...would you consider a budget of £1000 per year plus an emergency fund of £2-3000 for maintenance a fair assumption for a well maintained car? I should be able to afford this and more if need be but going by what has already been said this looks like it could be a fair assumption?
Quote:Also...would you consider a budget of £1000 per year plus an emergency fund of £2-3000 for maintenance a fair assumption for a well maintained car
I would have thought more than enough, going to have to be something major to need that kind of repair though....but labour soon mounts up I suppose.
Chris
Ok Chris, thanks for that
I know there is no hard and fast rule for this kind of thing...every car is different and some people have a little more luck than others but this hopefully give me a basis to work with.
Thanks
williamsc47 Wrote:Ok Chris, thanks for that
I know there is no hard and fast rule for this kind of thing...every car is different and some people have a little more luck than others but this hopefully give me a basis to work with.
Thanks
The thing to remember is that despite its exotic appearance the DeLorean is pretty bog standard under the skin, Renault engine and a host of other interchangeable parts.
As for maintenance so far this year I've bought nothing for the DeLorean, however on my 5year old Peugeot the coil pack went last month £180, tyre wall deformed this week new tyre £51.50, disks and pads shot, changing them tomorrow, £79 parts etc... Just for the record we probably only do about 5kmile in the Peugeot per year, so not 100'000's of miles
In the grand scheme of things I don't think the DeLorean is a particularly expensive car to look after, but I suppose it is a less practical and often a 2nd car so it always seems an extravagance when you spend money on it.
I could probably burn thought £5k on my DeLorean tomorrow if I had it lying around, but so long as it is on the road and safe, and looks good to the casual observer then that money has to be kept for more pressing matters.
J
JamesRGUK Wrote:The thing to remember is that despite its exotic appearance the DeLorean is pretty bog standard under the skin, Renault engine and a host of other interchangeable parts.
As for maintenance so far this year I've bought nothing for the DeLorean, however on my 5year old Peugeot the coil pack went last month £180, tyre wall deformed this week new tyre £51.50, disks and pads shot, changing them tomorrow, £79 parts etc... Just for the record we probably only do about 5kmile in the Peugeot per year, so not 100'000's of miles
In the grand scheme of things I don't think the DeLorean is a particularly expensive car to look after, but I suppose it is a less practical and often a 2nd car so it always seems an extravagance when you spend money on it.
I could probably burn thought £5k on my DeLorean tomorrow if I had it lying around, but so long as it is on the road and safe, and looks good to the casual observer then that money has to be kept for more pressing matters.
J
Hey James, thanks for your post
For the most part it does seem that it may be less expensive a proposition than I had originally thought, which can only be a good thing
The opinion of those who don't own one seems to be that they are very difficult to find parts for and are very expensive to keep on the road. The reality from actual owners seems as though it might not be as bad as many seem to make out.
I can see how you could spend £5k on a Delorean as it would most certainly become a hobby, but sadly most of us cannot afford such luxuries. I would be more than happy with a nice Delorean that is in good working order that is generaly reliable and looks good anything else would be a bonus