# Benet Murder Suspect: Red DeLorean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252 "2006-08-18T17:28:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/1 "2006-08-18T17:28:39Z")
[Here](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14400501/), MSNBC claims this that > [@](#): > > John Karr, who lived in northwest Alabama from his preteen years until after the brutal slaying in Colorado, stood out in this rural town both for his gull-winged red DeLorean and his intelligence. If he’s so smart, why did he paint his DeLorean red? Wouldn’t that reduce the value? Anybody ever heard of a DeLorean being painted? Maybe the type of car was wrong – in which case, what other car could we be talking about? A Ferrari? This guy had Ferrari-level money? On preview, this is a lot of questions for one OP, but I’m confused. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/2 "2006-08-18T17:32:41Z")
Murder Suspect, I mean – could a mod fix the title please. Gads, is it Friday yet? ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/3 "2006-08-18T17:35:08Z")
I didn’t think a DeLorean even _could_ be painted- they’re stainless steel. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/4 "2006-08-18T17:36:42Z")
Ferrari’s are not that expensive. Decent Ferrari’s in good shape can be had for around $40,000. Sure they are about 15 20 years old. Well with in the means of a middle class professional. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/5 "2006-08-18T18:02:30Z")
DeLorean != Ferrari. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/6 "2006-08-18T18:05:41Z")
The simplest explanation is that he did indeed have a [red DeLorean](http://www.time-traveler.org/delorean/Cleveland/km-clev15.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Jean\_Poutine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a5b964/32.png) [@Jean\_Poutine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jean_Poutine)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/7 "2006-08-18T18:32:16Z")
Cool car- but not as cool as this one: [http://www.bigtexas.com/dmc/](http://www.bigtexas.com/dmc/) ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/8 "2006-08-18T18:33:16Z")
And so, in just over 1/2 an hour, I learn something new. Red DeLoreans exist, although they are rarer than the stainless steel version. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/9 "2006-08-18T18:35:52Z")
It’s my understanding that DeLoreans are often painted - or coloured somehow ( I seem to recall hearing that powdercoating works) They were made of stainless steel and while cool, it unfortunately makes any damage at all virtually non-repairable… Anything that’s not superficial or can’t be polished out requires the replacement of the whole panel - finding parts for DeLoreans isn’t easy either. If something is welded on, if there’s a dent that can’t be popped out, the evidence is there forever. Painting is really the only option to cover something up, unless you want to spend prodigious amounts of money fixing it. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/10 "2006-08-18T18:52:52Z")
[QUOTE=gazpacho] Ferrari’s are not that expensive. Decent Ferrari’s in good shape can be had for around $40,000. Sure they are about 15 20 years old. Well with in the means of a middle class professional. [/QUOTE] And the money you save by buying an older one lets you some other things that make your life easier…like spare apostrophes. I always wanted a blue DeLorean. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/11 "2006-08-18T19:11:34Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] I didn’t think a DeLorean even _could_ be painted- they’re stainless steel. [/QUOTE] Stainless steel doesn’t need to be painted, but that doesn’t mean you _can’t_ paint it. It’s just a type of steel - you can paint it any color you like. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/12 "2006-08-18T20:09:01Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] And the money you save by buying an older one lets you some other things that make your life easier…like spare apostrophes. I always wanted a blue DeLorean. [/QUOTE] I get mine used. You can barley tell the difference between the 85 and the 2006 models. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/13 "2006-08-19T02:32:52Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] Stainless steel doesn’t need to be painted, but that doesn’t mean you _can’t_ paint it. It’s just a type of steel - you can paint it any color you like. [/QUOTE] Well…yes and no. I seem to remember hearing that stainless steel is harder to paint because the paint doesn’t like to stick to it as much as other kinds of steel. I could be wrong though. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/14 "2006-08-19T02:43:57Z")
Earl Scheib will paint any DeLorean, any color for $29.95. No Ups! No Extras! ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/15 "2006-08-19T16:56:42Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man] Earl Scheib will paint any DeLorean, any color for $29.95. No Ups! No Extras! [/QUOTE] I used to see a red DeLorean on Fort Hood, Texas, back in '95 and '96. It looked like an Earl Scheib paint job. ::shudder:: ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/16 "2006-08-19T17:04:03Z")
[QUOTE=Danalan] If he’s so smart, why did he paint his DeLorean red? Wouldn’t that reduce the value? [/QUOTE] I’ve seen several painted De Loreans, but not for about 15 years. The real question is, if he’s so smart why did he have a [a De Lorean](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384525)? (Listed under ‘financial failures’.) I had a dentist in the '80s who said he owned one. I asked him how he liked it. He made a sucking sound. He said it was the worst car he’d ever owned. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/17 "2006-08-21T11:55:51Z")
[QUOTE=Danalan] [Here](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14400501/), MSNBC claims this that If he’s so smart, why did he paint his DeLorean red? /QUOTE] Well, they didn’t say he was famous for ‘high’ intelligence! 😉 hh ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/18 "2006-08-21T17:11:34Z")
Why paint a DeLorean red? – Because they don’t make Bondo in a color that matches stainless steel and you’ll be waiting a long time for a replacement body part from the manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benet-murder-suspect-red-delorean/369252/19 "2006-08-21T17:52:19Z")
Wasn’t Red DeLorean the father on “That 70s Show”?