Pawn Stars

THIS EPISODE OF PAWN STARS...

IT'S A 1981 DELOREAN.

- THIS THING'S PRETTY SWEET, MAN.

LET ME HAVE MY GUY TAKE IT FOR A TEST-DRIVE.

NO PROBLEM.

crash! - HOLY .

- THIS IS A LETTER THAT WAS SENT

TO MY GRANDFATHER BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.

WHO WAS YOUR GRANDFATHER, SIR?

H.L. LAX.

L-A-X, JUST LIKE EX-LAX.

- WE'RE PROBABLY TALKING $40,000, HERE.

THANKS A LOT.

WE'RE GONNA BE ON WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?

YEAH!

I'M GONNA WIN A MILLION BUCKS.

- I'M RICK HARRISON, AND THIS IS MY PAWN SHOP.

I WORK HERE WITH MY OLD MAN AND MY SON, BIG HOSS.

EVERYTHING IN HERE HAS A STORY AND A PRICE.

ONE THING I'VE LEARNED AFTER 21 YEARS,

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT IS GONNA COME THROUGH THAT DOOR.

HEY, HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

- WELL, I HAVE A GUITAR HERE FOR YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT.

WHOA.

WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET THIS?

I GOT THIS FROM MY FATHER.

IT'S A 1956 GIBSON ELECTRIC.

- A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY ACTUALLY

START SOUNDING BETTER WITH AGE.

BUT I LISTENED TO WAY TOO MUCH ROCK AND ROLL IN MY YOUTH,

AND MY HEARING'S HALF GONE ANYWAY, SO I WOULDN'T KNOW.

- I CAME TO THE PAWN SHOP TODAY TO SELL MY 1956 GIBSON GUITAR.

IT'S IN GREAT CONDITION.

I THINK THE GUITAR IS WORTH ABOUT $20,000.

IT NEEDS TO MOVE ON TO SOMEONE ELSE

WHO CAN APPRECIATE IT AS MUCH AS I DO.

YEAH, THIS IS REALLY NICE.

DID YOU EVER PLAY IT?

I DID NOT.

- JUST YOUR DAD? - JUST MY DAD.

- DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

- MY FATHER ACTUALLY PURCHASED IT FROM A BAND MEMBER.

IT WAS SECONDHAND TO HIM.

OTHER THAN THAT, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING

ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT ITSELF.

- GIBSONS ARE, LIKE, ONE OF THE BEST GUITARS MADE.

THEY WERE MADE WITH QUALITY.

EVERYTHING FROM THE WOOD, CRAFTSMANSHIP,

EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM WAS QUALITY.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU CAN STILL GET MONEY OUT OF GIBSONS

AS OPPOSED TO A LOT OF OTHER BRANDS

THAT ARE JUST--NO ONE WANTS.

ORVILLE GIBSON WAS A GUY WHO STARTED OFF

MAKING MANDOLINS IN THE 1890s,

AND HIS COMPANY WENT ON TO MAKE

SOME OF THE BEST GUITARS EVER MADE.

EVERYONE FROM B.B. KING TO KEITH RICHARDS

TO JIMMY PAGE HAS USED A GIBSON GUITAR.

I MEAN, EVERYTHING LOOKS IN AMAZING SHAPE.

I CAN'T FIND A DAMN PROBLEM WITH IT.

THAT WAS MY FATHER'S BABY.

- OKAY. - MUSIC WAS HIS FIRST LOVE.

- HOW'D YOU GET THE DATE? - FROM MY FATHER.

THERE'S A MODEL NUMBER INSIDE THE GUITAR.

- OKAY, 'CAUSE GIBSONS ALWAYS HAVE

REALLY, REALLY BIZARRO SERIAL NUMBER SYSTEMS.

YOU CAN'T TRACK IT DOWN BY JUST THE SERIAL NUMBER.

YOU GOT TO KNOW ABOUT THE KNOBS, ELECTRICAL WIRING,

ALL SORTS OF STRANGE STUFF LIKE THAT.

PRICING A CLASSIC GIBSON CAN BE REALLY TOUGH.

AND JUST THE LITTLEST DIFFERENCE

CAN MEAN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

YOU WANT TO SELL IT OR PAWN IT?

I AM LOOKING TO SELL IT.

- AND WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING TO GET OUT OF IT?

I'VE BEEN ADVISED

TO NOT TAKE LESS THAN $20,000 FOR IT.

OKAY.

FIRST THING I WANT TO DO IS, I WANT TO HAVE SOMEONE

COME IN HERE AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS THING.

LET'S MAKE SURE IT'S A 1956.

LET'S MAKE SURE ALL THE COMPONENTS ARE ORIGINAL,

'CAUSE THAT'S A REALLY BIG DEAL.

I HAVE A BUDDY. HIS NAME'S JESSE.

HE KNOWS EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT GUITARS.

IT'S, LIKE, FREAKISHLY WEIRD.

LET ME GET HIM DOWN HERE. HE WILL LOOK AT THIS.

WE WILL GET IT FIGURED OUT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

- OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I HAVE HAD DIVERSE APPRAISALS FROM $1,500 TO $20,000.

MAYBE IT'S TIME TO HAVE A REAL EXPERT TAKE A LOOK.

- EARLIER TODAY, I GOT A CALL FROM A GUY

LOOKING TO SELL A 1980s DELOREAN.

THESE CARS ARE AWESOME.

BUT SEEING AS HOW THIS CAR IS CLOSE TO 30 YEARS OLD,

I'M BRINGING OUR SHOP'S MECHANIC, JOHNNY,

WITH ME TO COME CHECK IT OUT.

THIS THING'S PRETTY SWEET, MAN.

- LOOKS PRETTY GOOD FROM THE OUTSIDE.

- SO WHERE'S THE FLUX CAPACITOR GO IN THIS?

- THIS ONE DOESN'T HAVE ONE ON IT, UNFORTUNATELY.

- I GUESS WE'RE STUCK, THEN, AREN'T WE?

- THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FUTURE.

- RIGHT. -

- SO I DECIDED TO CALL THE GUYS FROM THE PAWN SHOP

TO SEE IF THEY'D BE INTERESTED IN BUYING MY '81 DELOREAN.

THIS CAR WAS MADE FAMOUS BY THE BACK TO THE FUTU MOVIES.

JOHN DELOREAN WANTED IT TO BE THE NEW SPORTS CAR,

THE CAR OF THE FUTURE.

THE REASON WHY I WANT TO SELL THIS CAR IS,

IT'S NOT A REAL PRACTICAL CAR.

I HAVE THREE KIDS,

AND I CAN'T PUT THE WHOLE FAMILY IN THE CAR

AND GO DRIVE AND GET SOMETHING TO EAT.

- SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT, MAN?

IT WAS MY FATHER'S CAR.

HE PASSED IT ON DOWN TO ME.

IT'S A 1981 DELOREAN,

YOU KNOW, STAINLESS STEEL BODY.

THEY'RE TWO-SEATER CARS. THIS ONE'S AN AUTOMATIC.

- JOHN DELOREAN DESIGNED A WHOLE LOT OF CARS FOR GM

AND THEN WENT OUT ON HIS OWN,

AND THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY CAR HE EVER MANUFACTURED.

- JOHN DELOREAN WAS KNOWN FOR CREATING CARS

SUCH AS THE PONTIAC GTO AND THE FIREBIRD.

BUT HIS CAR PUT HIM ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

BUT AFTER IT WAS FEATURED BACK TO THE FUTURE,

IT BECAME LEGENDARY.

ISN'T THIS THE CAR THAT HE GOT CAUGHT SELLING COCAINE

TO THE FBI TO FUND OR SOMETHING?

- UH, HE GOT WRAPPED UP IN THAT STUFF,

AND HE WAS LOOKING TO GET FUNDING

TO HELP MANUFACTURE HIS CARS.

- THE COCAINE MARKET'S NOT A REAL GOOD PLACE

TO START FUNDING YOUR BUSINESS.

YOU MIND IF WE OPEN IT UP AND TAKE A BETTER LOOK AT IT?

- NOT A PROBLEM. LET'S GO. - ALL RIGHT.

MAN, I NEVER GET TIRED OF SEEING THESE DOORS OPEN.

- THAT IS KIND OF NEAT, ISN'T IT?

- IT'S VERY COOL. I LIKE IT.

- CAN WE CHECK OUT THE ENGINE REAL QUICK?

SURE, NO PROBLEM.

- DELOREANS USE WHAT'S CALLED A MID-ENGINE,

WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH DESIGNED FOR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

AND ALSO MAKES THEM HANDLE REALLY WELL.

THAT'S WHY YOU ALSO SEE THEM IN FERRARIS AND LAMBORGHINIS.

I MEAN, DELOREAN REALLY KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING.

IT'S A VOLVO-RENAULT-PEUGEOT.

IT'S AN ALL-ALUMINUM V-6.

- I MEAN, I WASN'T EVEN ALIVE BACK IN 1981,

AND I MEAN, THIS CAR STILL LOOKS,

YOU KNOW, COOL TO TODAY'S STANDARD.

- IT'S STILL A HEAD-TURNER, 30 YEARS LATER.

YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS CAR STILL

AND GO "WOW" WHEN IT DRIVES BY YOU.

- ARE YOU LOOKING TO PAWN THIS THING OR SELL IT?

- PROBABLY-- I'D LIKE TO SELL IT.

- WELL, BEFORE I CAN MAKE YOU AN OFFER, LET ME HAVE MY GUY

TAKE IT FOR A TEST-DRIVE REAL QUICK.

- NO PROBLEM. - ALL RIGHT.

1955, HERE WE COME.

- HERE YOU GO. - ALL RIGHT.

- IF EVERYTHING CHECKS OUT, I'D LOVE NOTHING MORE

THAN TO DRIVE THE CAR BACK TO THE SHOP.

I MIGHT EVEN GO 88 MILES AN HOUR AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

BUT AS MUCH AS I WANT IT,

I HAVE TO GET IT FOR A PRICE THAT MAKES SENSE.

SO HOPEFULLY THIS GUY DOESN'T WANT SOMETHING

OUT OF THIS WORLD FOR IT.

QUICK, COREY, GET IN.

THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH YOUR GRANDFATHER BACK IN 1955.

- NO, YOU GO BACK AND SAVE HIM. I GOT TO DO.

SO HOW'S IT RUN?

EH, IT RUNS.

A LITTLE SHIFTING PROBLEM WITH THE TRANNY, MAYBE.

YOU COULD SMELL IT RUNS HOT.

YOU CAN TELL IT'S 30 YEARS OLD.

- HOW MUCH ARE YOU TRYING TO GET OUT OF IT, MAN?

WELL, THEY'VE BEEN DOCUMENTED

TO GO THROUGH THE BARRETT-JACKSON AUCTION

AT RIGHT AROUND $40,000, SO...

- SHOOT ME A NUMBER OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO GET FOR IT.

I'D GO $30,000 FOR IT.

- YOU GOT TO REMEMBER MY SITUATION.

IF I DO BUY IT, I GOT TO BUY IT TO MAKE A PROFIT ON IT.

I COULD GO PROBABLY AROUND $12,000.

- OH, AT THAT PRICE, THERE'D BE NO WAY.

I MEAN, I COULD MAYBE GO DOWN TO $28,000

WOULD BE ABOUT ALL I'D CONSIDER.

- THERE'S NO WAY, IN TODAY'S MARKET,

IT'S GONNA GO FOR THAT MUCH.

HOUSES ARE WORTH 1/3 OF WHAT THEY USED TO BE.

I FIGURE CARS ARE WORTH ABOUT THE SAME.

ALL RIGHT.

I'LL GO UP $15,000,

AND THAT'S GONNA BE THE MOST I CAN DO ON IT.

THAT'S GONNA BE THE FINAL OFFER THERE.

- I'LL PROBABLY STAY STUCK AT THE MOST--

THE LOWEST WOULD PROBABLY BE $28,000,

AND I'LL PROBABLY KEEP IT FOR THAT, THEN.