Writer, Producer, and Creative Director

1982 DeLorean DMC-12

Vin # SCEDT26T3CD011180

Location: Danbury, CT

23,899 Miles

Third Owner

$48,500

I was (and still am) completely obsessed with this car. The film came out when I was just 4 years old, and my parents tell me I was enamored by the movie (even before I had the ability to understand the plot — I was just drawn to the car!).

Growing up, I’d express my obsession by building models of the DeLorean, painting my Matchbook cars silver, and even filming car commercials for the DeLorean with the family camcorder. Every weekend trip to my grandparent’s house was a scouting mission for me, as I would scan out the backseat window, looking for a DeLorean on the road (I only spotted one once).

When I was about 15, I was in the Barnes and Noble with my Dad. I was looking through the local Pennysaver (as I always did) to see if any were for sale in the classifieds. And I found one. I ran to my Dad to show him, but my excitement was quickly met with disappointment as I realized we would never be able to afford one.

A month later my Dad told me to get in the car, because we had to “help a family friend with some yard work.” After an hour’s drive, we pulled up to a stranger’s house, My dad shook hands with him. He told me to open the garage door, and there it was. Confused, I looked to my dad, and he said, “It’s yours.”

Our ownership history

1996

We got the car in November of 1996 with 22,212 miles on it. We continuously put basic work into it, replacing the door lift struts, and a couple thousand dollars of other minor mechanical maintenance. Most maintenance was organized thought PJ Grady, which was/is the east coast resource for everything DeLorean. It was a very different time in 1996 — the internet wasn’t really a thing, so to gain knowledge you would have to make friends with other owners through the DeLorean Owner’s Association. It was a network of owners that would call each other constantly to ask for advice on things. Nowadays, it’s completely different, as all the information, parts, and advice you would ever need is readily available on the internet.

1997-1998

We would enjoy it out on the weekends (it was never a daily driver for any of us). In 1998, I took my date to the senior prom in it (click here), which was the talk of the town — our photo was in the newspaper!

1998-2004

I left to go to college in Florida, but my dad continue to tinker with it and keep it up-to-date. When I would come home on holidays, I would take it for a spin.

2004-2007

We kept it registered, but at this point, it was just basic maintenance.

2007-2024

Somewhere around 2007, the battery was removed and the pause button was hit. My parents were getting older, I was living my life in LA, and the car just sat there, frozen in time. It never left the garage again, except to take photos in July of 2024.

Condition and Details

On July 4th, I took it out of the garage and did a quick clean-up and took photos. It’s actually in better condition that I imagined. Here’s my honest assessment. I want to be perfectly transparent.

Model

This model is the most desirable model - the one from the movie (manual transmission with grey leather, with leather door loops, no gas flap on hood).

Originality

Everything non-consumable is original (body, door panels, switches/knobs, windows, seats, etc.). I’m not sure about the radio.

Mileage

We got the car with 22,212 miles. It now has 23,899 miles. We only put 1,687 miles on it in 28 years.

Storage

The vehicle has spent the past 28 years in our garage, and has never spent a night outside. We live in a raised ranch home, so the garage is part of the home. I would never call it “temperature controlled”, but the garage is part of the home, so it doesn’t suffer any extremes in temperatures.

Mechanical

The fuel/fluids were not removed. It still has fuel in it from 2007. My father insists that if you flush the fuel and put a battery in, “it will start right up” — but take that for what it’s worth. To be clear, we have not turned the key, nor has the car run, in 17 years. So once you DO start it up, I have no idea what surprises are in store. It is a gamble.

The door struts need to be replaced — the doors do not currently stay up on their own. (The door lift replacement is probably the most common fix on the DeLorean - you have to replace them every few years regardless.)

The trunk release handle is disconnected from the cable. You have to pull the cable with pliers to open the hood.

There is now a HUGE online community, and all parts are easily available. It’s a common misconception that parts are not available for this car. Many third party parts work, and original and reproduction body pieces are readily available.

Cosmetic

Overall I think it’s in great condition for a 42 year old car.

Carpets need to be cleaned. Leather needs to be reconditioned. The leather sheath around the manual shifter has hardened. It has a lovely “old library” smell inside (not a bad smell). Center console window control buttons feel loose.

There are two pings in the hood, and there is a fleur-de-lis emblem glued to the hood (we got it like this) that I believe is hiding another ping.

There is some heat warping of the plastic molding over the high-beam headlights - it was like this when we got it, and you’ll spot some semblance of this design issue in just about any photo of any DeLorean.

The interior headliner is sagging after 40 years, and needs to be replaced or re-secured.

Other things

The original manual (says 1981 even though it’s a January 1982), complete parts book detailing every single part/nut/screw on the vehicle along with schematic. Service records from the 90’s. The key is not original.

Obviously, you can use stainless steel cleaner on the panels, which I should have done for these photos to remove any residue. Despite the rumors, don’t use a Brillo pad (we never did).

DeLorean’s don’t have power steering! When you are turning the wheel, you are literally turning the wheels.

Pricing

I’ve been doing a lot of research (joining DeLorean Facebook communities, online searches, message boards, etc.) to come up with a fair price.

It seems that any price proposed is immediately followed by comments proclaiming the price is too high, and other comments proclaiming the price is an absolute steal. There are so few of these out there, it’s not easy to declare a value.

That said, it seems the price can span from $15K for a body shell with no engine or interior, all the way to $105K for a museum-quality showpiece. Generally speaking though, an average price seems to be between $50-70K for one in working order.

Taking into consideration that this highly desirable, low mileage one needs some work, I’m asking $48,500.

The cost for shipping a car to California, door to door, covered, is about $2,500.

One last thing…

Owning this is the pleasure of a lifetime. The thing about this car is, it never stops exciting you. No matter how many times I look at it, the thing still thrills me, and still feels like a vision of the future. It really is a feat of engineering and design.

I hate to let it go, but, out of respect to the vehicle, it deserves someone who is going to put the effort into it — and the world deserves to see it! The car belongs in the lab of a modern-day Doc, and once I toured the AOA garage, I felt the car belonged there!