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Ive been looking at a D for sale in the states, its been sat for a while and the owner has listed the following problem: "I got the car started it up drove it a mile and then parked it. The car was running really rich and was smoking. I have started the car 5 times in the last year and last time I tried to start it, it would not keep running it kept fouling out."
He also says:
It has had the following work done on 22/9/05
Tune up including gaskets
Fuel pump
Relay
Fuel Filter
Pressure Regulator
Fuel Distributor
Lower intake gasket work and injection unit work done.
Do I steer clear or could it be something simple that just needs setting up?
VIN: 6511
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to be honest i would take it all with a pinch of salt, if the car is cheap enough you should really get it inspected, maybe darren at pj can help on that, i mean i was told my stainless was good and a visit to PJ Gradys web site under stainless corosion will tell you that it wasnt by a long way.
just be carefull and dont rush into anything
cheers tony TT
DOC398
VIN#3484
Tourettes Tutor
I have the X factor
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Best thing when you buy a car cheap like this is to assume that NOTHING has been done - because unless you know where the work was done, where the parts came from, etc - there's a pretty realistic chance it won't be fully working.
The fact that it's still not running right after all of that work tells you something.
When they're talking about gasket fixes, they could be the £2 rocker cover gaskets, or the £800+ labour for the cylinder head gaskets (which I would worry about if a car has had head gasket problems before).
Darren
Posts: 577
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hi
it would be ok if cheap enough.
at least he is telling you there are problems.
mine was a non runner, and would only run for 30 seconds for ages.
got it down (i think) to a poor connection to the coil!.
i wonder if this runs with the fuel flap held down 5mm?.
and also has he took off the idle motor etc, block the air intake and adjust the screws.
mine ran perfect when i did this!
what sort of money is he looking for? if its less than $10k then could be ok.
maybe wonder though why he does not get it sorted first then ask more money?
Steve Saunders
Wolverhampton
ex owner vin 1621
doc 370
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Hes moved out of state and just wants rid of the D so he can stop leasing the garage that its stored in where he used to live which seams fair enough.
VIN: 6511
Posts: 285
Threads: 45
Joined: Aug 2006
Just remember that the DeLorean is pretty much a £16k-£17k car, and although the dollar is pretty weak - it isn't as big a difference as people seem to think.
This listing showed a price of $7,000 when I last looked at it (£3500) - doesn't sound right to me.
We'll cover eBay cars at the session on Sunday - but my suggestion would be that if it sounds too good to be true, it normally is.
I have a price model here that works out a rough cost of repair depending on what needs replacing on the car - it's surprising how much money can be quickly sunk into project 'fixer uppers'. It never is just a case of finishing off a few little jobs.
As a guide, if I bought a car for £3500, I would be surprised if I spent less than £10,000 getting it restored - plus extra for shipping it.
I'd avoid this one Dan - I'm not convinced it's a genuine seller.
Darren
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Sorry Dan,
Reading your post again - I think I'm getting confused with the car you're looking at and a different eBay car that Barson is looking at on another post!
Sorry!
Fuel problems can be expensive - especially if the distributor is shot, injectors need replacing, etc - but there are much much much more expensive things that you should worry about first.
1) Check the frame - and get pictures. Frame rot = ££££££££
2) Check the engine - head gasket £1,000 (mostly labour) - cracked block = new engine.
Where in the US is the car based? If you're seriously considering buying, I can probably suggest someone nearby to quickly check the car over before you commit yourself...
Thanks
Darren
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Hi Darren, The car is in Minneapolis. Ive got some big pictures of the car on my PC at home (im at work atm) which I will put up later, but not of the chassis unfortunatly. He says its in sound condition and hasn't ever been repared. I'll email again asking for more details about the engine, but he did say he garantees the engine and transmision are not shot, that its just a fuel related problem.
VIN: 6511
Posts: 1,272
Threads: 79
Joined: Sep 2007
Ive just put some pictures in the cars for sale section. Advice wanted!!
VIN: 6511
