Thanks guys. Skuzzboomer, I sent you the pic just a few minutes ago. By the way....a tiny bit of history on this car. It is originally from Texas and I bought it from a fellow forum member Dale. Otherwise known as "Songman". He used to host the California Coast Run and is now pursuing his singing career. Kit
Skuzzbopmer, I had sent you two pics. Did you get my other one? By the way, the white convertible is my buddies. Mine is the red one in front, This is a week day show in downtown Mtn. View, Ca. Kit
[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 03-10-2013).]
Kiskaboodle, via email: This is a pic of my 90 at a weekday evening car show in downtown Mtn. View, Ca. Notice the Fiero just ahead of me. They just happened to be there that day.
Thanks for hosting! A few weeks before this show I had spent a good 6-7 hours on each wheel stripping, sanding and polishing. That was a lot of work but was well worth it considering what some shops wanted just to do one wheel! Kit
Here is one more pic of our Reatta's at Alice's Restaraunt in Woodside, Ca. This area is absolute bike Mecca! (although you can't see them in this pic)
[This message has been edited by skuzzbomer (edited 03-11-2013).]
I saw this car for the first time and thought it was notchback fiero at first..Wondering what do other fiero owners think about this car. Post your comments whether bad or good
I saw this red car with the black wheels for sale in the net tonight.
I bought a low mileage 88 firemist blue 43k Reatta last year and I enjoy it. It's a heavier car with more plow but less obnoxious exhaust note. The electronic dash works fine and the CRT is still in great shape. If the CRT were to die, the overlay touch screen would still work if you had the buttons memorized. Cons are the cost of a replacement windshield, CRT, and CPS power supply. The interior console lights are made of electro luminescent sheets that are powered by two 120v AC power relays and they can be quirky and sometimes not work.
I owned a 1990 for a little over a year waiting for my Fiero fix. It was nice and the fact that part of the trunkwall came down it allowed me to haul some long base-board heating modules in it when I was remodeling one of my apartments.
It's a nice ride and looks really cool. I probably shouldn't have sold it...but I had just got my race car back after a law suit and I had just bought Voytek's turbo 3.1 car and I didn't want to have 3 cars...meanwhile, I now have 3 cars...
My 4.9 GT (formerly the said 3.1 turbo car) is still for sale and runs great. Only issue is TPS sensor voltage is a little high. PM me if interested.
my dad has one of the hard to find vert reattas... there a nice car to drive sneaky quick (for what they are), smooth riding BUT... usually when they break Its an expensive fix.. my dad loves his though.. They were a hand built car. Mush like the corvette Z06 each builder signed there name in the owners manual of it. My dads after it was buit was sent to another place where it was made into a Vert... The Vert model is hard t come by but its classy... The car was GM's shot at competing with Mercedes SL at the time.. it was a crash in burn in my mine as there were a lot of things they should have been done diffrently on the car.. for one It should have been a RWD.. the FWD just kills the fun in the car.. A lot of people do do the 3800Sc swaps into them... if your looking to get one just think of it as a fiero... fun to drive but dont trust it on long rides.
Little fun fact (so i was told) the reatta was the 1st GM car to use ABS... they also share a lot of parts with the reviara of there time.
[This message has been edited by pontiackid86 (edited 03-17-2013).]
You mentioned the signing of the builders. You're referring to the "Craftsman Log". Not all Reatta's had signed Craftsman Logs. Many were blank from what I heard. I have one too and mine is blank. Yes, there are some pricey items on Reatta's like ABS pumps ($400-800) wheel sensors ($90-120+) windshields ($1400-1800) but many parts are typical GM. (American car part prices) Kit
Had one of these come through the shop last week. 1990, post-touch screen model. Customer bought it in 1989 and put it in storage in 1991 with 36000 miles on it. After some brake lines and a new fuel pump and tank, it fired right up. While it isn't a Fiero, it was really a fun car to test drive. I'd buy one.
Wow that Buick Wildcat looks like an Audi R8 ! I see where Audi stole the concept from now
I always thought the Reatta was mid engine from the look of it. I was sitting in my Fiero one day picking up my gf from work and this kid that worked at publix says to me (my windows were down) "Hey cool fiero, thats my Reatta over there" and we talked about engine swaps for a bit and he told me he was looking for a Fiero.
Cool times
fun fact the Audi R8 V10 model is based on the same frame and drivetrain as the Lamborghini galardo.
Had one of these come through the shop last week. 1990, post-touch screen model. Customer bought it in 1989 and put it in storage in 1991 with 36000 miles on it. After some brake lines and a new fuel pump and tank, it fired right up. While it isn't a Fiero, it was really a fun car to test drive. I'd buy one.
lol till you fill the gas tank up... the have an 18 gallon tank
Here is a link to a website dedicated to Reatta facts and history. They have production numbers, color combos, and list how many were painted a certain way. http://reatta.net
------------------ 1984 White Fiero Sport Coupe (Juliet) in restoration https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/089093.html 1988 Red Fiero Standard Coupe (Bella) in restoration 1990 Black Buick Reatta (Noir) 2002 White Chevy Impala base(Haylie)
There has been a Reatta for sale in my neighborhood for a couple years. I jog by it all the time. Each time I think to myself "hmm, what a quirky, and unique car. maybe I should offer him a couple bucks for it." Then I get home to see my garage and driveway littered with "toys" already and think "my wife would kill me!"
Can anyone explain why Reatta windshields cost so much to replace, I'm curious?
One off, probably. A windshield not common to other cars gets pricey. Back in the 50's, for example, a windshield for a 54 Chevy pickup was the same as it was for the car, and the same one was used widely thru GM . Looking at a 5 window truck for sale that had it's cracked, I was shocked to see the total replacement cost at $250. That was a few years ago, but the point holds. It's common. The Reatta must not be.
Can anyone explain why Reatta windshields cost so much to replace, I'm curious?
Because they are unique to the Reatta. Also, the Reatta only lasted 4 years. A little over 10K Reatta were produced, which by GM standards is a dismal failure. Reatta windshields are different than most other windshields because the rubber seal is bonded to the glass. This was done to make it fit flush. This bonding of the rubber to the glass is called encapsulation . Finally, this is a single source item. Only current manufacturer is Plinkerton. Kit
Thanks guys. Skuzzboomer, I sent you the pic just a few minutes ago. By the way....a tiny bit of history on this car. It is originally from Texas and I bought it from a fellow forum member Dale. Otherwise known as "Songman". He used to host the California Coast Run and is now pursuing his singing career. Kit
Here's a bit of Fiero History... Dale "Songman" picked this car up in Houston and He and I hung out afterwards. So I've seen this car in person.
I know where there are 2 for sale on the same lot. Guy wants 3 for one and 4 for the other. They are average drivers but everything works on them. They are both non- convertibles. zip code for cars is 60901 in central IL. Like anything that old they need nickle and dime stuff that can eat you alive. Kind of like another car I have.
BTW- I like them and I'd drive it. Hard! I had the Trofeo and I loved it, black cherry color and the nicest velour interior GM ever put in a car.
------------------ ( Create a team, analyze, make a plan, then ask the wife if it's OK.)
Here's a bit of Fiero History... Dale "Songman" picked this car up in Houston and He and I hung out afterwards. So I've seen this car in person.
Cool, I didn't know that. The Reatta is alive and well. Over the course of 6+ years I have slowly brought it back to car show presentable. I go to to the PicknPulls a lot. . On another note I did bring it to the Coast Run a few years ago and showed it to Dale. I think he is really happy that it went to a home where someone has the time to take care of it. Kit
Working on a few, I found them to be a nice car. The touch screen was a nightmare when you had problems. Originally designed with redundent wiring, which made it almost impossible to find intermittent breaks. New of several GM dealer by backs because they couldn't repair them. It is basically a shortened version of the same era Eldo, Toronado, Riviera. Cadilac Avanti spin off. But looked much better. They should have offered a T type option. Like the GS. With a less eye candy dash and sport suspension. Some have put the P A ultra engine in them and they are sweet.
I drove a Blue 88 for tour years as a daily driver and love it. Road like a big Buick. It weighs a few lbs. more than a Riviera. It got 28 mile per gallon, I scraped mine because it needed a new windshield, I was told by my glass guy that searched for one that there is only one company in the country that bought the remaining windshields left so could demand $1,800.00 for it if you want one. The rear window is no longer available. Seeing how the clear coat was starting to peal an all the top surfaces, the stitching on the seats was failing from dry rot.Total estimated cost to repair was over 5,000.00 it when for scrap.
GM did make (2) turbo charged Reatta's. One had the Grand National style hood, the other one had a stock hood. Turbo was mounted on the front of the drivers side exhaust manifold. According to the article I read about them it said the front wheel drive transmission would not hold up.
Good news was I am into limited production cars so I replaced it with my 87 Fiero gt which I love much more. Not a daily driver in the winter like the Reatta.
My Fiero is all original including paint which is in graet shape. After rebuilding the complete suspension, complete break system. replaced the 5 dry rotted tires, headliner, radio and speakers I was only into it for 2,500.
If you think those windshields are bad, try sourcing one of the small fixed triangular door windows. Supply and demand I guess....
I have a '91 sitting in the driveway right now......but I haven't had the time to work on it and it keeps developing issues. First a plastic fuel line went and now it needs a rear hard brake line.... I've driven it a whole 16 miles since buying it. The factory alarm system just goes off when it feels like it as well, so I have to keep the battery disconnected most of the time. I haven't figured out how to disable the alarm without the body control computer (there is a BCM as well as an ECM in the Reatta) disabling the ignition. It's probably a bad ground somewhere.... Also need to fix the headlight motors, but they are basically the same motor design as the '87-88 Fieros so they probably can be rebuilt the same. I'll get back to it this spring hopefully.
The '91 (last year of production) is the only year to own in my opinion, even if it doesn't have the cool CRT screen in the dash. It's the only year with the Series 1 3800, and it has a much more traditional ABS system. I drove an '88 with a bad ABS accumulator and it was downright scary, the car has virtually no brakes at all when the accumulator system has an issue.
No different than a Riviera of the same vintage though, as the Reatta is really the same mechanically as it's basically a shortened Riviera chassis with a custom body on it. The front fenders are a similar plastic material to the Fieros as well. But the Fiero is downright simple to troubleshoot and fix compared to a Reatta with its complex mess of electronics for that era.
Another weird piece of Reatta trivia is the metal sunroof has the same mechanicals out of a RX7 of that era. I actually have an RX7 panel to replace my rusted Reatta one. It's a slightly different contour (1/4" higher in the middle) but it seals the same and is hard to tell it's not supposed to be that way unless your a Reatta guru, and the RX7 panel is way easier to find in a junk yard (I got a perfect rust free one in a yard for $20) since the sunroof was one of the few extra cost options the Reatta had so not all of them had it. A decent original Reatta panel will go for $300 or sometimes way more on eBay.
My '91 had a new Pinkerton windshield put in it though about a year before I bought it so right now I only have as much into the car (including its purchase price) as what the windshield is worth really.....so it's like I bought a Reatta windshield with a project car attached.
While we're on the topic of Buick's (someone mentioned they're an old mans car) what's everyone's opinion about the Buick Grand National which I believe was manufactured from 1984 to 1987 (similar to Fiero production years)? They're supposed to be hot collector cars especially with the Turbo option. My sons friend bought one new when he was 16 (with financial help from his parents) and only takes it out occasionally for summer rides and shows. He's been offered $50,000 for it and wouldn't even consider it! I wish someone would offer me $50,000 for my mint 88 T-Top Fiero GT. Maybe I should have bought a Buick Grand National, but I still love the looks and design of a Fiero far better!
[This message has been edited by canfirst (edited 05-19-2014).]
Update: I was back at the salvage today to look at a Grand Am with a Quad in it. It happened to be two cars over from this Reatta. An older gentleman was tinkering with one of the headlights, so I told him I'd seen a white convertible in the parking lot on Friday. He said that was his car. I asked him if he's had it for a while and he said only about a year, then told me he has his eye on a red convertible that has less than 20,000 miles on it, but he's trying to talk the owner down from the $16,000 he's asking. He said his white one has about 35,000 miles on the clock. I told him about this discussion about Reattas on the Fiero forum and he just smiled.
Hang on...
