Just to say Hi :)

[williamsc47]

Hi all,

A new member here who does not have a Delorean, but I hope that one day I might just be able to get one

I have liked Delorean cars for as long as I can remember (introduced by BTTF of course) but it only recently crossed my mind that I could possibly own one. To be honest I have never seen one here in the UK and was kinda suprised to hear of the following the car has here.

At present I could probably afford either a non runner or a poor running car, but that is not the route I would want to take. I would much rather wait it out, research and learn until I can afford a really good one that has been well looked after/restored. Being a total mechanical novice I would need something which requires little to no work so that I can hopefully learn on a slighly more drip fed basis

With this is mind, I have become a full member of the club and will spend most of my time reading what you guys have to say to try and get myself a little more up to speed and get a better idea of what I might be letting myself in for. Hopefully I will be able to come to one of the events in the future and get a closer look at the cars as I have only ever seen the BTTF car at Universal Orlando.

In the mean time, I will sit back and try and take in what you guys (and gals) are discussing....so far it's all very interesting, even if it is all a little confusing at times for novice like me

As a note to everyone, thanks for creating this thriving, friendly and unique environment that is sure to help me and others like me now and in the future

Cheers, Craig

[Rissy]

Welcome Craig. Very friendly bunch of people we all are. You're not saying anything we haven't heard before from other like minded and enthusiastic DeLorean appreciators.

The cars a both challenging and rewarding to own, and great fun to be around.

You'll never go unmissed when you drive one of these cars.

Owning one is a dream many of us have, and few actually realise, but with determination and perseverance, i'm sure you too can be one of the luck enough ones to get that dream car sitting in your driveway. It's not an impossible dream, as many will tell you here.

Until that time comes, then as you say, read away, surf the internet, come to events, get to meet new like-minded friends, and soak up everything Delorean, and soon you will be as addicted as the rest of us, and it'll make you all the more determined to make you do whatever you have to do to make that dream a reality.

Many of us will tell you the facts, as well as matter of opinions on things, and it's up to you to pick out what you want to listen to, and learn from others and from the experiences they have had over the years...

Once again, WELCOME! :wink:

[Rich Hanlon]

Well put Rissy, and welcome Craig!

Likewise it had never crossed my mind that it was feasible to own and run a Delorean in this country, and a chance encounter, followed by visiting this Club's stand at the NEC, started the ball rolling for me!


My avatar pic is of my car beside the harbour at St Tropez, taken about two years after that first enounter - it can happen!

Good luck and welcome,

Rich

[Chris P]

Hi Craig,

Welcome to the club. I'd buy as many back issues of the club mag as you can. the cheapest and most convenient way to catch up. Loads of stuff in there over the years.
Take my tip and save up every penny you can, cut out all non-essentials and make your "DeLorean fund" grow a bit quicker..

Please don't even think about borrowing money to buy it. "Boys toys" should be money saved up....you appreciate much more then and when the glorious day eventually come....when you own one!

Most club members will only to happily show you their car, just tell us approx. where you are and a volunteer will soon be in touch.

Best regards

Chris P..... BTW how old are you? Just for my statistics!

[williamsc47]

Hi again,

First of all, my thanks to all of you for the warm welcome and indeed the words of encouragement, it really is very much appreciated I can assure you

Rissy Wrote:The cars a both challenging and rewarding to own, and great fun to be around.

When you say both Challenging and rewarding, what sort of challenges could I expect to face? I know this would really depend on what condition your car was in, but assuming I was able to get one that was a good runner that was mechanically sound and in all round good condition. What sort of issues could I expect to face from your experience?

Ideally I would like to get a Delorean that will only need minor maintenance throughout the year and that I could easily keep on top of without it becoming a major financial burden…..but I am not sure if that is even possible?

Rich Hanlon Wrote:Likewise it had never crossed my mind that it was feasible to own and run a Delorean in this country, and a chance encounter, followed by visiting this Club's stand at the NEC, started the ball rolling for me!

Yeah, strange isn't it? It really didn't cross my mind until very recently...in fact it was when Martin Lawrence mentioned it on his ITV1 show that I stopped and though, "A DeLorean in the UK?" Why it never crossed my mind I will never know....but it certainly did when he mentioned it...so I guess I have him to blame

Chris P Wrote:Hi Craig,

Welcome to the club. I'd buy as many back issues of the club mag as you can. the cheapest and most convenient way to catch up. Loads of stuff in there over the years.
Take my tip and save up every penny you can, cut out all non-essentials and make your "DeLorean fund" grow a bit quicker..

Please don't even think about borrowing money to buy it. "Boys toys" should be money saved up....you appreciate much more then and when the glorious day eventually come....when you own one!

Most club members will only to happily show you their car, just tell us approx. where you are and a volunteer will soon be in touch.

Best regards

Chris P..... BTW how old are you? Just for my statistics!

I have already bought 5 back issues, but was already thinking of ordering more as they do seem to pretty informative....will have a think about that.

No worries about borrowing money, not gonna happen. I only spend what I have and have never been in any debt of any kind (well apart from maybe the odd £10 lol), even the thought of debt terrifies me so I would only ever consider buying if I had the money in hand. This does lead on to another issue though. If I was to buy a Delorean (at least in the next 5 years) I would most likely have to spend my life’s savings. This is where things can be a little scary because even though I had no plans for the money, the idea of it suddenly not being there is a concern, especially these days.

I guess I would be in a fairly fortunate position however, as these cars are holding there value very well. This should mean that if the worst came to the worst I could probably liquidate again very quickly if I needed to and not loose much (or anything) in the process?

I am in the Bristol/South Gloucestershire area, which seems be a slightly less populated area for DeLorean owners....or am I wrong?

I am 29 years old for the statistics

Thanks again

Craig

[jwrayth]

Welcome aboard!

I've had my car roughly a month and despite being in good condition on inspection and purchase, I've had to deal with the following in the short time of ownership;

• Fuel line started leaking the day I collected it
  
• Radio antenna snapped off day I collected it
  
• Had to remove stuck tape from radio
  
• Rear Fascia out of alignment
  
• Un-advertised after-market CD-changer not wired in very well
  
• Idle Micro-switch not set correctly
  
• Passenger side windscreen leaking

A mix of issues in level of severity, but since I was aiming for something similar to yourself (Ongoing maintenance rather than rolling restoration), thought I'd give you an idea of what less than a month has revealed! Some other chaps have imported recently and encountered an even longer laundry list of issues, but all of us have some mechanical/engineering background to fall back against that helps eliminate the labor costs from the equation.

I'm based up in Leamington Spa but have family down in Cheltenham and Bristol, so I'll let you know if I'm heading down that way with the DeLorean over the summer so you can get a look. Unless someone closer can oblige you sooner!

[williamsc47]

jwrayth Wrote:Welcome aboard!

I've had my car roughly a month and despite being in good condition on inspection and purchase, I've had to deal with the following in the short time of ownership;

• Fuel line started leaking the day I collected it
  
• Radio antenna snapped off day I collected it
  
• Had to remove stuck tape from radio
  
• Rear Fascia out of alignment
  
• Un-advertised after-market CD-changer not wired in very well
  
• Idle Micro-switch not set correctly
  
• Passenger side windscreen leaking

A mix of issues in level of severity, but since I was aiming for something similar to yourself (Ongoing maintenance rather than rolling restoration), thought I'd give you an idea of what less than a month has revealed! Some other chaps have imported recently and encountered an even longer laundry list of issues, but all of us have some mechanical/engineering background to fall back against that helps eliminate the labor costs from the equation.

I'm based up in Leamington Spa but have family down in Cheltenham and Bristol, so I'll let you know if I'm heading down that way with the DeLorean over the summer so you can get a look. Unless someone closer can oblige you sooner!

That all looks relatively reassuring for the most part...what with most of it being superficial and the fact that this one went through perhaps a little extra trouble during the importing process. Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it? Feel free to ignore if you are not comfortable mentioning the the price.

I can't see me going the route of importing, I think I would be far more likely to wait for one to turn up in the UK...but never say never

Yeah, I guess most people here will probably have at least a little bit of experience on the mechanics side, which is where I would be at a bit of a disadvantage. That being said though, I do perhaps have a card up my sleave as my Brother is a fully qualified mechanic.....But I get the feeling he wouldn't approve of the purchase...might take some pursuading to help if the time came.

Thanks for the offer of a potential viewing, that is much appreciated....will see if it's possible when/if the time comes...thanks

[Starglider]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

williamsc47 Wrote:I can't see me going the route of importing, I think I would be far more likely to wait for one to turn up in the UK...but never say never

Ed at DeLorean Europe usually has a couple of used cars available (not necessarily on his website, which always seems to be out of date). He's in the Netherlands, so easier to go over and look them over than a US car (also much easier import into the UK). Ed's cars will be inspected and have all the major mechanical stuff working correctly. Alternatively Chris at P J Grady might be able to build you one (in the UK), but it takes about 9 months.

[williamsc47]

Starglider Wrote:Ed at DeLorean Europe usually has a couple of used cars available (not necessarily on his website, which always seems to be out of date). He's in the Netherlands, so easier to go over and look them over than a US car (also much easier import into the UK). Ed's cars will be inspected and have all the major mechanical stuff working correctly. Alternatively Chris at P J Grady might be able to build you one (in the UK), but it takes about 9 months.

Interesting, that may well be worth looking into in the future...I had noticed that PJ Grady sold some and did restorations etc but thought they might be a little expensice...but havign just looked at the current RHD car they are working on for £310000 it might not be so bad after all...not that I expect to ever be able to afford a RHD however

Thanks again, much appreciated...well worth considering both of those options

[RobScott]

Ed said he is getting some deloreans in about 8 weeks time... so maybe speak to him, let him know what sort of money your looking at spending and no doubt he will have somthing, or be able to source it for you.

[MikeWard]

williamsc47 Wrote:I can't see me going the route of importing, I think I would be far more likely to wait for one to turn up in the UK...but never say never

Don't be put off of importing, just make sure you budget for it accordingly. The import process itself is actually very easy, it just the waiting 6 weeks to see your new toy that's the hard part. flux3d has done a blog detailing the process for importing his car, and a lot of us have imported our D's over the years so would be happy to give you any advice should you need it.

[williamsc47]

RobScott Wrote:Ed said he is getting some deloreans in about 8 weeks time... so maybe speak to him, let him know what sort of money your looking at spending and no doubt he will have somthing, or be able to source it for you.

Good to know that they are pretty regular with the cars and that something is generally available or at least on the horizon. Don't think I will getting in touch any time soon though unfortunately....lot's of saving and learning to do first

MikeWard Wrote:Don't be put off of importing, just make sure you budget for it accordingly. The import process itself is actually very easy, it just the waiting 6 weeks to see your new toy that's the hard part. flux3d has done a blog detailing the process for importing his car, and a lot of us have imported our D's over the years so would be happy to give you any advice should you need it.

The thing that scares me is the distance and anything that might go wrong when being shipped over? I have read that people have had parts stolen etc....not fun. If I was looking for a project DeLorean then I think importing would be a good option, but importing a good restored running car in great condition seems like it could be a risky venture. That said however, I am not totally against it....I guess a lot depends on what is available here and in the States when I am eventually in a position to buy and what the prices are.

[TheOriginalMrP]

Hi Craig...

Welcome to the club...

You will soon find out there are more DeLoreans closer to you than you think...

I am from Usk in South wales... 15 mins from the Severn Bridge. Not too far from you at all...
Daniel Howarth lived in Gloucester with his car...
I met a chap from Ross on Wye with one... dont know if he still has his..
Ollie Wilkes is from Bristol with his ongoing project which is going well
There is a BTTF replica i Bristol too I think..
I know of a car in Blackwood South Wales...
And a DeLorean attended a classic car show near Cheltenham last year... it wasnt anybody above who ive mentioned......

Like I said.... There are more than you think!

Pursue your ambition Craig, with willpower it took me 14 months from start to finish.

Take the other guy's advice though.... It does require patience, it will go wrong, it will annoy you at times, but its all worth it....

If you wanna pop over to me then you are more than welcome!

Ben

[OllieWilks]

Hi Craig,

Just following on from what Ben said, I live in Keynsham, but my car is currently over Bath/Chippenham way at the moment and is (fingers crossed) only a couple of weeks away from being back on the road and will live over this way with me. Welcome to come and have a look at it. Ben has a beauty just over the bridge!

Just let me know if you're nearby.

Ollie

[williamsc47]

Thanks for the offers guys, much appreciated...will let you know if I get an opportunity