People's reactions - Good and Bad

[Rissy]

RichH Wrote:I always swap out the cigarette lighter and my pull straps are sympathetically tie wrapped to the door handles!

OH, now you DON'T want to lose your cigarette lighter! ...That was designed SPECIFICALLY for the DeLorean don't you know!? ...to fit in with the overall "theme" of the car....! 8)

....I too have my door pull straps cable tied to the door handles. In a "X" format using two of them. Would take a really persevering type to get THOSE off! :wink:

[Rich Hanlon]

Yep, I've had several "piece of Genuine Delorean" valve-dust-caps disappear, (despite them actually being generic poundland aluminium ones!)

[Guinney1971]

Rich Hanlon Wrote:despite them actually being generic poundland aluminium ones!

ah, aluminium like the rest of the car then! :lol:

I get alot of people ask what I clean it with, I love their faces when I say "Lithuanians" - followed
a few seconds later by me saying "well, its not worth getting your hands dirty when they'll do a good
job for a fiver" :wink:

[dave t]

Hi

I think Chris has really summed it up in a nut shell, I can only echo the sentiments.
I got from mates & family words like.. are you mad, why don't you buy a Merc, youd get a nice Porche for that, you must be loaded...it goes on and on and on....and on.If its what you really want I say go for it, F%&k the begrudgers and the pessimists, to be honest its part and parcel of owning a D it comes with the territory.

As previously mentioned be prepared for the 'touchy feely' people that have to pull seals, bumpers , our put paw prints on. Kids also...when the doors are up the first thing small kids go for is the light stalks or allowing a kid to sit in and then starts jumping on the newly upholstered seats whilst the parents look on...

All aside I think there's NO other car around that attracts all age groups like a D.
Last week I passed a bus stop where a guy started doing the 'Karate kid crane move' only to realise hes demonstrating to his lady friend how the doors open :lol: was funny to see.
My favourite one was on the motorway..a Renault Clio flying up behind (100mph easily) jumping from lane to lane, got up long side the D only for mobile phones , camcorders the works stuck out the window and blocking the cars behind it was like the paparazzi gone mad! ...(thankfully Ive tinted windows, again a must for any D Imo).
To generalise peoples reactions are great! the negatives from your family will turn positive once they see the car in the flesh.

As with all D owners you'll quickly get known as the guy that owns a D in your local area
and you will hear it all...best advice is take no notice. Every D owner appreciates and has heard all the comments before either good or bad.

Live the dream & take the plunge!

Best Of Luck
Dave from Lithuania :wink:

[Guinney1971]

hiya Dave,
funny I mention going to our local Lithuanian hand car wash and then you post your
experiences lol

[Phil Peters]

jwrayth Wrote:Sadly though I have to say I've had one incident of vandalism on my car only having owned it a month I had taken the car out for a quick run after completing some work on her and decided to stop in a countryside pub on the way back for a quick celebratory (non-alcoholic) drink, and on coming out the pub found scratches on the hood. I don't think it was their intention to scratch it, but it looks like somebody tried to slide across the hood and scratched it.

Very sorry to hear about this As others have said, a blending pad may remove some or all of the marks. Just remember to apply pressure gently to the hood area though to prevent the dreaded 'X' mark appearing.

Forgot to say, I was having a bite to eat in Zizzi on a Friday night a couple of weeks back and spotted you driving up the Parade! The car looked fantastic, first one I've seen 'in the wild' for a long time. First one I've seen in one piece for a long time too, come to think of it...

[Chris P]

With regard to people wanting to sit in, i use a two pronged approach, firstly a little double sided cardboard sign sat on the centre console saying "please don't sit in the car" and secondly something placed on each seat. When I was at the NEC it was usually my BTTF type vidio camera and perhaps a book or something on the other. Always worked for me. When you get people hovering, looking as if they'd like to sit in, i let them sit on the sill under the open door....it makes a better picture anyway.

Lets face it, if you drive a DeLorean you are going to get noticed!!!

Incidentally, in 15 years of ownership, I have never had anything nicked of vandalised, but I do leave a non standard cig lighter in the car just in case. If you want a "discreet classic car"...buy a Morris 1000 and put up with .....my dad had one of these comment.....every 5 mins. !!!!

While i'm on the subject, I was recently horrified to learn of a club member who went absolutely "ape sh*t" because a member of the public, just gently laid a finger on the stainless...as they do. This over reaction does little credit to the car, club or his owner!

[Guinney1971]

Chris P Wrote:While i'm on the subject, I was recently horrified to learn of a club member who went absolutely "ape sh*t" because a member of the public, just gently laid a finger on the stainless...as they do. This over reaction does little credit to the car, club or his owner!

I've often wondered about taking a sink to car shows and saying "fondle this rather then my car please, its made of the same stuff"

[Chris Williams]

Quote:car shows and saying "fondle this

Yes I thought about having a T shirt made up saying the same thing
Chris

[Guinney1971]

Chris Williams Wrote:

Quote:car shows and saying "fondle this

Yes I thought about having a T shirt made up saying the same thing
Chris

trust you Chris..... :wink:

[bjbrownie]

Interesting reading other owners reactions to the general publics approach to their DeLoreans at shows etc, and I can sympathise with the replies! Personally, I'm very protective of my car, but only if the person/persons look like they're not going to respect that the car is someone's property and personal pride and joy. If someone asks to sit in the car, it's ok provided they're under my watchful eye, and the majority appreciate the car and thank me for letting them, on the flip side, if my car was a showroom standard minter there would be no way I would let anyone near it and would probably leave it in the garage to avoid any damage/wear at all!
But we use our cars and people love to see them on the road, and it never gets old seeing drivers of new and expensive 'sports cars' turning their heads around to see an old 1980s car getting more looks and finger pointing,waving and smiling than the car they're driving ever will.
A few greasy finger prints always clean off, and people can't do any real damage unintentionally to the car, so I don't mind letting a few BTTF fans ( young and old) be Marty McFly for a few minutes- who knows, the 12 year old BTTF fan who's dad takes his picture of him in the driving seat may become a DeLorean owner in the future ............ 8)

[flux3d]

I have to agree on the general very good reaction of people. I live right next to a park and have been working on the car on my drive, which is a stones throw away from the car park and entrance. With the amount of people passing by I've had loads of questions and comments. Only at the weekend a women stopped her car, put the window down and just shouted out "wow, I love you car! Thank you for making my day!" I wasn't sure what to say other than thanks, but what other car could get that response from just being on your driveway. It would seem that I'm quickly becoming a local celebrity, with remarks like "oh your the guy with the BTTF car".

To be fair it can get in the way sometimes. me and my partner went for a picnic last weekend at Rutland water in the DeLorean. Bad idea. No sooner had we turned up and there was a hoard of people wanted to have their picture taken with the car or started asking questions. Not great when you just want to relax, plus the car can get some stick from your significant other when the novelty wares off. Mind you, I still love taking about it.

As for people touching the car and sitting in it, well the first one you can't do much about. People, young old, rich or poor just can't help themselves. They just have to "rub" their hands down the stainless, normally exclaiming "don't you just love the aluminium finish". I soon put them right. But people sitting in the car, now that is annoying! I've only had three occasion of people doing this, two of them by the same guy! On the first time I had the car out on show in Melton for the monthly classic car evening in he hops without even a simple request. I was amazed. I was standing right there. The blow me he did the same last friday for the same event! neadless to say I'm thinking of booby trapping the seat!

[marwood82]

i got good reactions driving back to germany.
i must be on every camera phone between calais and darmstadt!

i did get one guy jump into the drivers seat when i was at a petrol station somewhere in deepest darkest Belgium.
however to be fair to him, prior to him getting in the car he did ask me something in a language i did not understand in the slightest so i just politely smiled and nodded in the most british way i could muster so its not out of the question i inadvertently agreed to let him sit in it! :wink:

comedy quote from a group of british bikers at the same petrol station
"wow, its a delorean, and its a real one too!" (as apposed to those fake ones you see all the time???? :roll: )

[Rich Hanlon]

Nah, yours must be a replica like mine, apparently they only ever made 6 cars... :roll:

[Rissy]

Rich Hanlon Wrote:Nah, yours must be a replica like mine, apparently they only ever made 6 cars... :roll:

Rich, your memory is TERRIBLE! Don't you remember...? I already gave the original story, and you even remarked on it at the time.

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