Well, after 20 years, one thing I can say... at least JZD was consistent... all owners I have talked to have had the same thing fail... usually nothing major. The PRV seems to be a decent powerplant, at least for a moped. in original (non-turbo) form it was horrid, even by 1981 econo-box standards. The electrical system was designed by Lucifer himself (prince of darkness, and all) Sorting out the electrical failures with the micro-schematic in the manual is an exercise in futility, and usually ends at some nameless "black box" that PJ Grady and Co quote $250.00 to replace. Last falls "adventure" was replacing all of the hoses, what an experience. There are hoses in places none should have been, major disassembly needed to reach them (keep in mind, this is a VOLVO motor.) THe trany is a bit crude, but gets the job done (also is rather good at "lubricating" the garage floor. The gull wings are rather good at dumping water in your seat when you open them on a rainy day... which really doesn't matter, after all, water leaks through the seals so bad the minor amount in your seat is only a primer of things to come. Gotta love the gas filler location (mine is a VERY early 1981 model, with filler door in the hood) if you overfill it at all it runs all over the fresh air intake for the vents. (resulting in a rather smelly trip, not at all aided by the miniscule windows) The lock module failed once, and LOCKED ME INSIDE!!! the electric locks fought to keep me inside, but I won... with minimal damage to either of us.

getting in/out takes a bit of climbing over the extended parking brake handle.

Occasionaly parts of the interior trim fall off in your hand, on your feet, etc. You get used to it, adds to the "DeLorean experience".

The A/C is by no stretch of the imagination, a marvel of modern refrigeration... A big box of ice cubes in the passenger seat would be a wee bit better.

Owner it for 10 years before I found out that it had delayed windscreen wipers! (amazingly enough, something that I had not had the opportunity to fix.)

Fuel inj system is rather strange.

The epoxy "coating" on the frame cracks and falls off at will. plan on spending time scraping it off, and recoating it rather frequently.

A flat tire on the rear presents a rather unusual problem, as it will not fit anywhere in the car... except the passenger seat. Now you have a choice, leave the tire (with it's $1500. rim) or the wife/GF next to the road, and come back for it/her. This is a real no-win situation... Good luck! (I made the wrong decision, that's how I learned the price of a new rim!)


Licensing is a real adventure... my state does not have "delorean" as an available option for make... so the great state calls it a "homebuilt" rather fitting, when one takes into account just exactly how much of it I have put together again, and again.

Only 22K on it, and I have spent well over it's original price in keeping it running... but I love it. Not for the "non-motorhead" type. Stiil styling is unusual, ideas were sound, though parts selection was a bit strange, and QC was not heard of.....


Amount Paid (US$): 15000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1981
Model and Options: aftermkt fitted with legend ind turbo