[MacGyver467]

I am having a dillemma and NEED HELP!!!

I am seriously thinking of selling my Intrepid.

I have a few reasons for thinking about this decision.

One, my job is no longer 35 or 50 miles away. It's only 10 miles both ways. I don't need a car that can drive long distances in comfort anymore. The only thing that I need to drive over 30 miles for is to see my girlfriend. So, I might buy an inexpensive car, like an older (98 or 99) Neon. I had a 95 (god helped me alot with it), so I know the Neon's quirks inside and out (goes without saying).

Second, doing this will free up money for me to by my weekend car: this. I've been seriously looking at DeLoreans for over four years, basically when I was deciding to get a new car. I tried to buy one right before I got the Intrepid, but I had no credit. Now, after a credit card and two years of car payments, I think I can easily get a loan for it. There's a large mailing list of owners and parts are easy to get: the plant inventory was bought and shipped to Houston in '96 for hopes of rebuilding the cars, but the stainless stamps were thrown into the Atlantic. But I digress...

So, I'm thinking of taking the $435/month payment and putting it into two cars. One to tool around in for work, and one for weekend cruising.

Now, I need to convice my GF and parents if I actually decide to go through with this.

PLEASE give me your thoughts.

 

[DMAG]

Well, my friend...ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Just remember, if you do decide to sell your Intrepid...they have absolutely horrible resale value. There's a good chance that you'll have to come up with out of pocket expenses just to pay it off if you don't already have it paid down under $10K.

I agree the Delorean is a facinating car with very interesting history. The 2nd Gen Neon is a fine car. But, think it through. I still kick myself over half the cars I've sold. (I still wish I had my 4X4 SuperCab XLT F-150!! <in addition to my Intrepid ha ha> )

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best...(and if you get a Delorean post some pics!) That Delorean on Ebay is in great shape...and whatta price!

Just remember what you are giving up...a Neon will never be an Intrepid. No offense to the Neon's, but they are an economy car that aren't meant to give you the ride and comfort of an Intrepid. And if you never end up getting your Delorean, well....look what you gave up to drive a Neon!

Good Luck...don't jump into anything without ALOT of thought!

 

[2002BlackRT]

i would rather drive a trep, then a neon, just my opinion..dont u think a 50 minute ride is long??

 

[MacGyver467]

The only way I'd buy a Neon is if I buy the DeLorean. Simple enough. I'm not crazy enough to get rid of the 'trep for a Neon only.

And where did you get 50 minutes from, 93intrepid? It only takes me 40-45 to get to/from my GFs house. My record from her house is 34 miles in 34 minutes. And that's with a 10-minute section of Baltimore City driving. I never dropped below 100mph on the highway to get that time.

 

[DjPiLL]

I agree with Intrepidacious..... The Neon is far from an Intrepid. In fact, I rode in a 1st gen Neon last week that this girl i know owned. Man that ride.... blah. I felt so "confinded" in it.

Same thing happened when I came back to NY from spending a week in LA. This is when I owned the Civic. When i was out there, I rented an Intrepid SE.... and out there i was like DAYM... nice ride. Then when i got back home, i jumped in the Civic and man what a letdown. I almost felt claustrophobic. And the Civic is a WAY better car than a Neon. (Keep in mind this is my opinion and im dont want to start a Civic/Neon debate).

Well if i were you... i would really think it over. The Delorian is a nice car... but daym.... 10-20k for a 1981 car. Hehehehe.

I guess im not enough a carnut to understand.

DjPiLL

<sig under construction>

 

[Wildcat]

The only vehicle I could give up my Vision for is a 1971 Plymouth Hemicuda... then I wouldnt mind taking a motor scooter to work

But seriously, you can get a First Gen pretty cheap now, they have their issues (what doesn't?) and would still drive better than a Neon...

 

[redlaze]

Hey Gyver, where are you from? I am from 20 miles west of baltimore, Mt. Airy. Anyways, since my trep got totaled, I bought a 98 Saturn SL2. Losing a trep isnt the worst thing in the world, i live without it now. I am going to get another trep when the 3rd gen comes out, so dont get me wrong, i am still a hardcore trep fan

 

[MacGyver467]

I'm in NE Baltimore City (yeah, I pay city taxes. UGH!).

Never been to Mt Airy. Anything interesting out there?

 

[MacGyver467]

Originally posted by DjPiLL:
(Keep in mind this is my opinion and im dont want to start a Civic/Neon debate).

That's what ClubSI and Neons.org are for... stirring up the s--t.

 

[redlaze]

not really anything good out here, i usually have to drive to frederick or baltimore to really do anything.

 

[GR8WHT]

Funny I went the other way, I had a neon and a 30 min commute, then when it became a 2 hr commute one way, then the Trep was the only way to go!

My commute is shorter now, about 1 hr each way but Im sticking with the Trep!!

 

[moparman]

macgyver - be wary of the delorean - it's a pretty cool car in some respects but it has a host of problems you need to be aware of. also, the resale value of the cars traditionally has been poor - several mint didn't go at barrett/jackson for teens !!!

i'm not trying to scare you out of it - just be aware of the resale/part availability (not too good), leaks - you should have a garage - these things leak pretty bad - and the engines have a propensity for boiling - run too hot - oil/tranny leaks, too)
i did something similar about 10 years ago and while i don't regret it - i must admit it was more expensive than i ever imagined and i had a pretty good idea going in.

if you know a mechanic who knows them well that's always a plus

good luck

 

[Thrasher]

theres a garage right outside of my work where theres a delorean parked everyday...for the past 6 years...
if i do recall it has moved on occasion, but I do not recall ever not seeing it.

 

[MacGyver467]

Originally posted by moparman:
...the resale value of the cars traditionally has been poor.

But the look I'll get from that car insted of a Ferrari are way different. The DeLorean Mailing list has numerous stories of Porches, Lamborghinis, and Ferraris get overlooked when a DeLorean pulls up. I want the "Hey! look at that car!" factor. Alot more people like seeing DeLoreans than expensive exotics. Heck, tons of uninformed people think DeLoreans cost over $70,000.

part availability (not too good), leaks - you should have a garage - these things leak pretty bad - and the engines have a propensity for boiling - run too hot - oil/tranny leaks, too)

A proplerly maintained Delorean can (and many have) lasted for the past 20 years without any problems at all. There are over 1,000 confirmed 200,000+ mile DeLoreans in the world. And that doesn't count the 6,000 that are still being driven.

Part availability for the DeLorean is extremely good. DMC Houston bought the factory's inventory in 1996. They store enough parts to build 2,000 new DeLoreans and have parts left over. There are over 3,000 engines (new in crate, never turned over) alone.

Also, as far as leaks go, as I said before, a properly maintained car will not leak. And the only times the list has heard of engine problems is when there's an air bubble in the coolant line right after a recharge, or the DeLorean does not have the required fan relay update.

Finally, the problems that the DeLorean does have are easily fixed with stronger parts made by Zilla. Fanzilla, Lockzilla, and a host of other parts have been designed and are still manufactured to keep the DeLorean around for MANY years.

If you want more information on DeLoreans (and to stop the spreading of rumors of them being "bad" cars), feel free to visit these sites:

DeLorean Motor Company - the Houston warehouse and the home of "Build your own DeLorean"
PJ Grady - home of the Zilla products
Tamir's DeLorean Site - a great resource on finding the truth about the company's downfall and MUCH more.
DeLorean Services Dot Com - DMC Joe, the source for your DeLorean technical help.

I'm not angry at you, moparman. I just want to stop the myths about the car.

"Live the Dream" - DeLorean

[ June 18, 2001: Message edited by: MacGyver467 ]

 

[DMAG]

I have a question that I've always wondered about these cars...what do you do if you get a dent in say, the rear quarter panel? Do you have to replace the whole panel by welding in a new quarter? Or do you bondo it up and paint the whole car then? Just curious...

 

[redlaze]

i just think they are badass cars....very cool

 

[MacGyver467]

Originally posted by Intrepidatious:
I have a question that I've always wondered about these cars...what do you do if you get a dent in say, the rear quarter panel? Do you have to replace the whole panel by welding in a new quarter? Or do you bondo it up and paint the whole car then? Just curious...

Kepp in mind that ANY stainless steel repair shop can do these repairs.

Small dents (Quarter size) can be easily popped back into place with some dry ice.

Medium dents (three or four quarters) the same dry ice procedure is done, then a rebrush of the Stainless is required to remove any ripples left over.

Large dents or minor (3"-6") crushes to the stainless will require a panel straightening procedure then a rebrush.

Major crushes (over 6") will need a new body panel.

DMC Houston has more than enough panels to last DeLorean owners for a while, so availability is a non-issue.

The owner of DMC Houston wants to create his own molds and start restamping the panels soon, probably to start up a manufacturing line again.

Only

 

[rarewolf]

On the topic of getting rid of your Intrepid... if you MUST do so, then at least you are staying in the Dodge family with the Neon.

On the topic of getting a DeLorean... I really used to love these vehicles myself... until they made a time machine out of one of them. Anyway, isn't it considered an 'exotic' vehicle?

I agree, you should go for your dream. If my dream came true, I would be driving my trep daily and a Lotus Esprit Turbo S4S V8 on the weekends... but alas, I don't have a spare $80,000 lying around.

Yes, Dodge fans, a Lotus. Not a Viper. I know, I know... but that's what taste is all about.

But if you are wondering about the drive, well... either in a Neon or Intrepid, I think you are going to miss your 'trep if you get rid of it... the room, the ride, and all of the space inside. You can fit two full 17" monitor boxes side to side in the back seat of a trep... try fitting ONE into the doorway of a Neon. 'Nuff said.

Oh, and for the commute... 50 minutes for a commute is nothing. Welcome to Chicago.

 

[MacGyver467]

Well, I lost the auction... Guess I'll have to keep looking for "the one".

So, the bad news is you all are stuck with me still.

 

[moparman]

hey mac467 - i wasn't putting the delorean down, just be careful, i owned and restored an avanti and met several delorean owners who had much different things to say about the cars than you do (and while most liked them - they all had leaks,problems etc.) and these guys owned/restored them. again, i'm not putting them down, sometimes cars like that don't always work out the way you may think they will going in . and sorry, they're not easy to sell. if you get one - good luck - show us a picture