Second Reatta, Third Buick

[american_revolution_2005]

I just bought this 1990 Buick Reatta for $700 and I was planning to use it for parts. However it only took a new battery to get it working great so I decided I will drive it and restore it. The body is pretty good on the car but the interior is a mess. However, I have a whole new interior waiting for it. It is a fully loaded coupe with 16-way seats and the moonroof but the only option it doesn't have it the CD player.

[loki]

i'm a little jealous. nice find.

are the wheels a little dirty or is that just shadows, or balance weight places?

time for a revised sig?

[american_revolution_2005]

One spot is the balance weight and the others are shadows. It wasn't a sunny day out at the time as it was just about to snow.

[XP715]

So when are you going to step up and buy something like a Grand National, or, if you really think that a tarted-up FWD two-seater LeSabre is the way to go, a Select Sixty Reatta or even just a pristine low-miles example? Every cheap roadside orphan you find is not an automatic candidate for restoration. The money you will spend restoring three cars you will never see a fraction of your investment returned on could be better spent on (and your effort better channeled into) one really nice vehicle or one awesome project car that WILL hold its value as you work on and enjoy it through the years. A winter beater Reatta might be fun if you're into them, but seriously, just throw some seat covers on this thing and get a junkyard center console cover and drive it into the ground. Every dollar you put into this car is a dollar that ISN'T going into your LeSabre or the other Reatta that seems a lot nicer than this one.

And not to come off as a douche or anything but it's definitely something you should consider. This is the same realization I came to myself this summer when I had four Cadillacs sitting in front of me with grand plans for all of them; I later sold one ('71 Sedan DeVille), parted out and junked another ('78 Coupe DeVille), I drive one of them as my daily driver ('77 Coupe DeVille), and the '67 Eldorado is my REAL project car. Once again I have funds and focus and for the first time in a long time I'm actually getting stuff done. Any new vehicle you buy becomes a huge sidestep to finishing one you already had. Don't spread yourself so thin that one day you look around at a bunch of half-finished vehicles and wonder where all your money went!

[vonVeezelsnider]

Every dollar you put into this car is a dollar that ISN'T going into your LeSabre or the other Reatta that seems a lot nicer than this one.

I agree, I'd put the moola into keeping your other Reatta and the LeSabre in tip top shape, although you really are blessed to have two Reattas!

[Oracle of Delphi]

Very very nice!

[wildcat]

american_revolution_2005: Very good for $700! (Even the interior doesn't look all that bad.) I saw a picture of a powder blue 1963 Buick Electra 225 convertible for $4500; it sure looked nice to me (of course, you can't judge the mechanicals from a photo, etc.). But, for me, that would be a sweet ride!

[american_revolution_2005]

Don't worry XP715, I understand exactly what you are saying. This one is actually going to be my driver as I like the other 2 too much to drive. I am just fixing this up a bit so I can drive it and then once I am done driving it, I would either sell it or fix it up. This car is cheaper on insurance for me as it has the engine immobilizer and the alarm. I would love a Select Sixty Reatta or a Grand National but I plan on waiting for those. I always liked my neighbour's Grand National and we are really good friends with each others families. He is a little bit older but he had no kids so he put me on his will as the inheritant to his 1987 Grand National. He has owned it since new and doesn't want to get rid of it in his lifetime so he figured that since I liked it so much, he wanted me to eventually have it. If it wasn't that way, I would probably already have bought a project GN. His car is always kept in climate controlled storage somewhere in our town but I can't remember the name so I only see the car in the summer months but he sees it once a week and makes sure it runs and drives.

Edited January 7, 2008 by american_revolution_2005

[Drew Dowdell]

What kinda mileage do these little buggers get?

[PurdueGuy]

What kinda mileage do these little buggers get?

+1 I'm kinda tempted to watch for one to drive when I'm tinkering on my project saturn. Very good looking cars, would be fun. I imagine the mileage is decent.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Now that the SKY is gone and we're on our way to getting back to financial stability, I may look for a Reatta myself in a couple of years. I'm jealous that you've got two now! Before I had put the deposit down on the SKY back in February '06, I was looking at a '90 Reatta coupe in red that seemed fairly well optioned too and had low miles for its age (75k). It needed some carpet and minor interior work, but the guy wanted $5k and the wife doesn't like the look of the Reatta (now I don't care what she thinks; too late for that Reatta though). There's a '90 coupe being offered locally in my newspaper... it states that it runs/drives well and looks good, but has an electrical problem. And a '90 Sixty Special Reatta convertible or a '91 Reatta convertible would be a cool car to find. Anyway, congrats on the 2nd Reatta/3rd Buick in your fleet. Keep us posted and the pics coming too!

[american_revolution_2005]

These Reattas get very good mileage. If you get an 88 or 89 it will work out your average mileage on the CRT as well for you. Plus you can read diagnostics through the CRT. There is a 1990 Convertible for sale in Michigan and it is only $4500 but has higher mileage around 190k miles. The Select Sixty or 91 Convertible would be the rarest ones to buy. Parts are easy to come by now as Mike in Arizona has a yard of 150 or so parts cars and he delivers cross country. These are pretty heavy cars but they get great mileage. My 1988 worked out an average of 28 MPG on the way to my house and that was after 4 years of sitting.