§ V.01What a 1981–1983 DeLorean DMC-12 is worth
A 1981–1983 DeLorean DMC-12 sold for a median of $54,000 across 183 completed auctions from January 2016 to September 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 183 sales fell between $47,851 and $67,250 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $8,100 to $243,000.
Data as of 3 November 2026 · 183 sales · January 2016 to 30 September 2026 · auction results only
§ V.02What moves a car within the band
Within that band, coupe cars are the most frequently traded body style in this set (159 of 183 sales), and manual cars account for 118 of them. Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of the range is wide.
The spread by variant, printed in full above, is usually wider than the spread by year, and a single median that mixes body styles describes none of them well.
§ V.03Recent sales
| Car | Sold for | Date | Mileage | Sold by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbocharged 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $47,000 | 30 September 2026 | 53,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 5k-Mile 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 Project | $39,500 | 28 September 2026 | 5,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 37-Years-Owned 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $44,000 | 25 September 2026 | 24,000 mi | Hagerty |
| Original-Owner 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 | $55,500 | 15 September 2026 | 25,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 37-Years-Owned 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $57,925 | 28 August 2026 | 31,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 | $47,000 | 10 August 2026 | 48,700 mi | Cars & Bids |
| 9k-Mile 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $51,500 | 6 August 2026 | 9,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 9k-Mile 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $65,001 | 28 July 2026 | 9,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| Original-Owner 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $56,000 | 20 July 2026 | 16,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 32-Years-Owned 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $48,800 | 8 July 2026 | 42,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $60,000 | 3 July 2026 | 25,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $52,001 | 26 June 2026 | 55,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 36-Years-Owned 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $50,500 | 17 June 2026 | 23,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1982 DeLorean DMC-12 | $74,301 | 4 June 2026 | 3,687 mi | Collecting Cars |
| 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 5-Speed | $75,500 | 20 May 2026 | 19,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
§ V.04Price by model year
| Model year | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | $53,700 | 126 |
| 1982 | $60,000 | 32 |
| 1983 | $53,900 | 25 |
§ V.05Price by body style and transmission
| Variant | Type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe | Body style | $54,000 | 159 |
| Manual | Transmission | $53,450 | 118 |
| Automatic | Transmission | $54,250 | 40 |
§ V.06Questions
What is a 1981–1983 DeLorean DMC-12 worth?
A 1981–1983 DeLorean DMC-12 sold for a median of $54,000 across 183 completed auctions from January 2016 to September 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 183 sales fell between $47,851 and $67,250 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $8,100 to $243,000.
What affects the price of a 1981–1983 DeLorean DMC-12?
Model year: by year, medians run from $53,700 for 1981 (126 sales) to $60,000 for 1982 (32 sales).
Transmission: Manuals hold a median of $53,450 on 118 sales, against $54,250 on 40 for automatics.
Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of sales spans $47,851 to $67,250.
Is the DeLorean DMC-12 1981-1983 going up or down in value?
Up. The 31 sales in the 12 months to 3 November 2026 had a median of $57,925, against $55,750 on 26 sales in the 12 months before, a rise of 3.9%. That compares whichever cars came to auction in each year, not the same cars sold twice, so read it as the direction of the market rather than a rate of appreciation.
How many DeLorean DMC-12 sales is that based on?
183 completed auction sales, from January 2016 to 30 September 2026. The table above lists the 15 most recent, each linked to its auction record. The figures were last rebuilt on 3 November 2026.
What is the difference between the typical range and the full range?
The typical range is $47,851 to $67,250: half of all 183 sales fell inside it. The full range is $8,100 to $243,000, the cheapest and dearest sale that survived cleaning. The full range is set by outliers, so it is a boundary rather than a guide to what most cars bring.
Which body style holds its value best?
On this set, coupe is the most frequently sold at 159 sales with a median of $54,000. Each variant's median and count are in the table above.
Do manual or automatic cars sell for more?
In this set, manual cars account for 118 of 183 sales. Manuals hold a median of $53,450 on 118 sales, against $54,250 on 40 for automatics.
Does mileage change the value?
Mileage is recorded for part of this set, not all of it, so it is not used to adjust the median. It is shown in the sales table wherever the auction record carries it, and you can see the effect directly by comparing rows.
How current is this figure?
Data as of . The figures are rebuilt from completed sales on a schedule, and the date above is the date of the last rebuild, not the date this page was loaded.
§ V.07Method and sources
What these figures are. Every number on this page is computed from completed auction sales of DeLorean DMC-12 cars built between 1981 and 1983. The median is the 50th percentile of the sale prices; the typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile; the full range is the lowest and highest sale that survived cleaning. Percentiles are linearly interpolated on the sorted prices.
What is excluded. Asking prices, reserve-not-met results, withdrawn lots and unsold cars are not prices and are not counted. Parts, memorabilia, literature, scale models and other non-vehicle lots are excluded. Sales not made in US dollars are excluded, so these figures describe the dollar market. Duplicate records are removed. Sales below a plausibility floor (5% of the median) and above a ceiling (10× the median) are set aside, because a $22 "911" is a data error rather than a cheap car.
What it is not. This is not an appraisal or an inspection, and it does not predict what any particular car will bring. Two cars built the same year can differ by more than the whole typical range on condition, originality, documentation and provenance.
The set. 183 sales from January 2016 to 30 September 2026, drawn from 12 auction sources, principally Bring a Trailer (141), Barrett-Jackson (14), RM Sotheby's (7), Cars & Bids (5), Hagerty (5), PCARMARKET (3), Acc (2), Bonhams (2), Autohunter (1), Collecting Cars (1), Hemmings (1), Mecum (1). Data as of .
See the disclaimer for the limits of a valuation of this kind.
§ V.08Compare with
- Shelby GT500 1967-1970 — $165,000 median · 183 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Toyota 4Runner first generation 1984-1989 — $17,000 median · 183 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Porsche 924 1977-1988 — $10,375 median · 184 sales · as of 3 November 2026
Value a specific car with a full report
This page is the market. A report is the car: paste the listing and BidBetter returns a bid target, a likely range and a walk-away number for that specific vehicle.
Value a specific car →