2012 Spring Newsletter Reatta Division of The
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Division Newsletter Buick Club of America Volume 16666 Issue 1 Spring 2012 A QUICK NOTE FROM BOB POPYK Director, Reatta Div.,BCA There has been quite a bit of discussion lately o f what our cars are worth, and if they are go- ing to go up in value. This past month I’ve had at least 6 calls from Reatta owners (or pro- spective owners) asking “what’s a 19XX Reatta worth?” My answer usually is; “I don’t have a good answer”. Here’s why: A lot depends on the miles, the condition, the area of country, the time of the year, if it’s a coupe or convertible, and how bad someone wants it. If you go by the NADA guide, here’s what it shows: Year Model Low retail Avg. retail High retail 1988 Reatta Coupe $3,175 $5,950 $10,550 1989 Reatta Coupe $3,250 $6,075 $10,700 1990 Reatta Coupe $3,350 $6,200 $10,950 1990 Reatta Convert $3,800 $6,675 $11,400 1991 Reatta Coupe $3,425 $6,300 $1 1,100 1991 Reatta Convert $3,850 $6,750 $11,950 To me, these numbers make no sense. I would probably buy every pristine low mileage1991 convertible out there for $11,950, and just wait a few years to more than double my money. A dealer would want to steal it for half of that. Someone who really wants the car would pay over $20,000 right now. I can’t imagine a price differential of only $1,400 between a 1988 coupe and a 1991 convertible. NADA has no clue, but tries to set some kind of a bar. Don’t go by what the book says. Value is in the mind of the beholder. It is what you think it is worth. Check Hemmings, Auto Trader, e-Bay, Craigslist, the Classifieds, and see what they are going for. Take an aggregate of all the prices along with how bad you want to sell it (or buy it). There’s your number. If you’re selling I hope its high, and if you’re buying I hope it’s a bargain. The Buick Reatta is a fun car. Sometimes you can’t put a price on that type of enjoyment. ______________________________________________________ Reatta Rally in Los Angeles on June #, 2012 Details can be found at http://www.ReattaDriver.com/reattarally 1 A strange coincidence……. I often get calls/emails from strangers about their Reattas. Sometimes the longer we talk the more interest- ing the story gets, here is one that I received last year. The email starts…”My husband recently died. He had and now I have a 1991 Reatta Covvertible, maui blue with white top”. Her husband had worked on the Reatta program in Lansing and purchased the car as a GM employee, had 7,000 miles on it when they purchased the car and now has 10,000. They now live in The Villages in Florida and, for later reference, the vin ended in 900250. Roughly 20 days before, I received a call from Nic Walker in Richmond, VA telling me about a 1991 Maui Blue convertible for sale in The Villages, Florida. I followed up on the story because the owner had worked on the Reatta assembly line. His name was Thomas and his car has 22,000 miles. He had also purchased his car as a GM employee and wanted to sell it. One of his main jobs on the Reatta assembly line was install- ing convertible tops. Here were two 1991 Maui Blue convertibles, blue interior, white tops, both had 16 way seat, no CD player and both had white pinstripe. Two identical cars, both owned by former GM employees and now both are in the same community in Florida. The final irony, the second car was vin 900247, the cars were 3 vin num- ber apart. The last I heard Thomas sold his car and it went to Sarasota. The lady who’s husband died still has the car because she either got no bites or her price was too high. Nice, low mileage Reattas are still out there waiting for you to find them. Other Reatta stuff….. Our Reattas shared their gas tank with the Riviera, Toronado, Eldorado and Seville. Replacement tanks should not be a problem. The fuel pick-up sending unit is another story. The sending unit, pump, etc inside the tank is also the same as the other cars but once the line exit the tank, even the Reatta coupe and convertible are different. To my knowledge, the Reatta sending unit is no longer available and when it was cost around $300. In most cases, your can be repaired by getting a working unit from one of the other cars and moving the parts to yours. Some parts are simple to move and others take some effort. As I gain more details, I will attempt to put together a How-to article. Sometime during Sept. 10-13, 2012 several Reatta owners are planning on meeting for lunch in the Ander- son, Indiana area. We have started with 3 members and now have 5. There is no “meeting, judging, etc, just Reattas getting together. If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, call me (512-869-5114 or email [email protected] Barney Eaton, Technical advisor, Reatta Div., BCA 2 FROM THE DESK OF CHUCK KERLS Need to rent a Reatta? When I was told about a mechanic in Wichita, Kansas loaning a Reatta to customers when their car was in for service - well, that was something that I had to learn more about. As a result of my investigation, I met Bob Harris. Bob and his wife, ST own and run Autobahn Power in Wichita. The business was started in 1974 and offers a wide variety of parts, accessories and service for the customer who is interested in quality high performance from their automobile. I was first contacted by a Reatta member in California who said that a mechanic here in Wichita loans a Reatta to his 'better customers' when they need service. I got out my Reatta convertible thinking it might make a good impression to drive a really cool car to his business - wrong. When I pulled into his drive I was greeted by a nice Mercedes he had been working on. I went in to meet him and on the floor was a totaly restored Opel that was most likely used for show. Out in the garage was a red/tan Reatta convertible with 30,000 miles in for yearly service. As we talked, I asked him what he knew about the convertible. He has serviced the car for a long time. He told me that he has several customers that use his service to maintain their cars. He has a knowledge about everything Reatta, which brings us back to the Reatta loaner. It seems as though he had serviced the car for a long time and when its owner decided to sell the car, Bob purchased it. The Reatta now has 130,000 miles and is in exceptional condition. The seats are spotless and it runs like a new coupe. I had a chance to drive it when we went to shoot our photos of this car. I promise you that it runs like new. It is an '89 grey/grey with no sunroof. When I asked him about loaning the car, he said that when one of his special customers come in, they get the Reatta as a loaner. I asked him what his customers thought of it. He said they are all impressed with the way the little car drives and handles, noting that the touch screen was really a novel idea. I have since been to his business several times, and the one thing that I have learned about Bob is that he takes a production car and makes it better. He will tell you that he enjoys a challenge and looks forward to working on different makes of cars. Therefore, his choice of cars include an Olds Cutlass in pristeen condition, a '69 Alfa Romeo Spider, Corvettes, Porsche, and all of them are ready to compete when he is ready. He told me his wife, ST, also likes to spend time on the track, and sometimes he beats her - but don't tell her! With all of the great cars that hang around Bob, it is incredible that his Reatta takes a place of honor with him and his customers. I know that when I have any questions about a Reatta, he is the go-to guy in this part of the country. To me, it is amazing that both Bob and I have lived in Wichita, Kansas for many years and yet our paths have never crossed. We have both been to the same carshows in the past, we both know the same people, and yet it took someone in California to make the connection. It really is a small world. Bob has a website that he maintains in house at www.autobahnpower.com so if you are ever in Wichita, stop in, our Reattas have a friend who knows and respects our cars. Chuck Kerls Page 3 BUICK November 1993 Buick Motor Division General Motors Corp. Flint, Michigan 48550 Dear Reatta Owner: Through the generous assistance of Buick Motor Divi- sion, this correspondence will be mailed to regis- tered Buick Reatta owners throughout the country. It is designed to inform you about the creation of the Reatta Club of America.