Owning a Rolling Movie Star: Part I - "Back" Talk

I could start by boring you with a bunch of talk about how much I loved "Back to the Future" or how much I was fascinated by these cars. I could waste your time talking about everything I went through to buy the car and whatnot. Doesn't really seem all that interesting at the moment, so let's start with a few posts on what it's like to own and drive a DeLorean in 2010 in the United States.

In this post, rather than listen to me, let's start with what everyone else has to say. Here are a few of the select quotes from bystanders, other motorists and random people -- these should give you a pretty good idea of what you're up against every time you take the car out in public.

• "Where's the flux capacitor?" (This is usually followed with a smirk, and/or the person laughing really hard at their own joke, because they think they're really clever. Truth is, this is the NUMBER ONE comment you will get as a DeLorean owner, so have a comeback ready.)
• "I hear DeLoreans always drift towards the white lines in the road." (This is a cocaine scandal reference, a common one. There's also one about "snow tires." Get used to this too.)
• "Back to the Future!!!!" (Most often belted out obnoxiously by redneck teenagers on Friday night.)
• "So, does your car run on garbage?" (Said to my back at a Steak 'n Shake in reference to Mr. Fusion in "Back to the Future: Part II")
• "Hey man, you need some help? You run outta plutonium?" (Admittedly, kinda funny. I was parked in a Subway parking lot with the door up, checking my phone.)
• "HOW did you get this car?!" (Apparently, many people don't realize you don't have to buy a car at a dealership, and old things still exist and can be purchased.)
• "WHERE did you get this car?!" (See previous entry)
• "Did DeLorean ever get out of prison?" (He never went to prison. Acquitted.)
• "I didn't know this was a REAL car!" (People live in tight niches. Their realities can be very limited.)
• "How much did it cost to add those suicide doors?" (First off, they're "gullwing" doors. Secondly, every DeLorean had them. Be prepared for a skeptical "Really?!" when giving this response. See the people around you will often think they know more than you about your own car. These are the same people who will often then say the next phrase --)
• "All aluminum, right?" (See?)
• "Are parts hard to find?/Where do you get parts???" (Okay, I've explained this phenomenon already)
• "I have a friend/brother/father/uncle who owns/used to own one of these!" (Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Everyone is connected to a DMC-12 within six people or less...allegedly.)
• "These cars are really slow/These cars were underpowered/These cars were a mess/These cars are pieces of $%#*!" (DeLorean detractors are EVERYWHERE. They "hate" the car with a passion, but you'll notice they stand around the car "hating" and deriding it for 30 minutes to an hour and never seem to go back to their "awesome" muscle cars. Amazing how something you hate deserves so much of your attention.)  
• "That's awesome/That's badass/That is SO cool!"

Where 6239 gets away from the not-always-adoring public: The Garage