1988 Red Buick Reatta Coupe For Sale in Colorado

March 28, 2015

1988 Buick Reatta Coupe (1 Owner)

47,900 Miles (Correct and Original)

Location: Just moved from Texas to Colorado. Last month, I drove the Reatta from

Houston, Tx to Littleton, Co. Car is now located in Littleton, Co. Drove 1000+ miles

straight through. No problems.

VIN: 1G4EC11C1JB902105

Clear Colorado Title (Passed Colorado Emissions Testing)

Asking Price: $ 2,850 (Not looking for a trade but would listen)

Condition: Bad Paint, Great solid driving, low mileage car.

My father kept most of the letters and documents. Here are some

of them:

More pictures (and more to come) at

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zk2i28lvoxbiqt7/AACbum8tSYWzPQGzIaIzsN1Ia?dl=0

Background on the Car: My mother purchased her brand new Reatta on June 16, 1988 from Bob Marco Buick in Houston, Texas. It had 51 miles on it. Although she loved to drive, she only put 36,000 miles on it before she passed away in 1996. My father kept the car in his garage for several years, only driving it occasionally (maybe once or twice a year as I was always charging the battery and getting it started when I came to visit him. In 2003, my wife needed a car to commute between Austin and San Antonio, so my father offered us the use of the Reatta. It was not being driven and my father did not want to sell the car. My wife and I have had the Reatta until last year when I returned it to my father in Houston. We did not plan to take it with us to Colorado. My father is not as flexible as he used to be to get in and out of the car, so he asked me to take it back to Colorado and sell it there. I flew to Houston and drove the car back. This seemed like the best course of action since the title has been in my name since 2003 anyway.

Below are more details on the car courtesy of Rawja's Seller Questionnaire. The only item I added was the condition of the CRT.

Any Accident History? Yes – From our records, it looks like it was repaired in April of 1995. I have the repair receipt from David Taylor Cadillac in Houston. It must not have been serious as the repair totaled $946.58 which included a $400 “Other” charge that looks like it was assessed to make up for the discount forced on David Taylor Cadillac by the insurance company. From speaking with my father, he recalled that someone hit the front of the Reatta while it was parked in a parking lot. This makes sense since they only repaired the front bumper and replaced 1639026 Bracket, 3636896 Strip, Frt, 22051515 Absorber, and 1638954 Panel. That was the only accident / repair on the car.

Exterior Color: Red (Original Paint) w/ gray pinstripes

Needs a complete paint job as the original clear coat is peeling off.

Interior Color: Gray

Belt & Bumper Molding Color: Black

Body Dents: None

Body Rust: None

Windshield Chipped or Cracked? Yes, on Passenger side close to A Pillar

Vent Glass Intact? Yes, perfect condition

Rubber surround molding for windshield condition? Excellent

Rubber surround molding for rear window condition? Excellent

Out Side Mirrors Intact? YES

Headlight Motors Function Correctly? Not at this time. One needs the bushings replaced and the other needs the bushings and bell crank replaced.

Tail Light Lens: Clear

Interior Original? Yes

16 Way Seats? Yes, except for lumbar bladder no longer inflates

Suede bolsters? (88 only) Interior is all leather. I don't think I know what a suede bolster looks like.

Seat Condition? The seat leather is in good condition. The driver’s side has stitching that has come loose. The leather is not torn at the stitching

Driver’s interior door panel condition? Good

Passenger interior door panel condition? Good

Center console top armrest condition? Good

Door weather stripping condition? Good

Headliner Condition? Fabric: Terrible. The shell is in good condition. Also, the visors need recovering

Carpet Condition? Good.

Original Floor Mats: Yes

Floor Mat Condition: Good

Condition of Steering Wheel Leather: Very Good

Sun Roof? No

Functional Keyless Entry? Not Equipped

Alarm Works

Problems with Electronic Dash items? Gauge Cluster is in excellent condition and all LED functions work properly. Intermittently, the lights which illuminate the left and right button racks (headlights, wipers, etc. don’t come on at night with the headlights on. This could be related to the Twilight sensor. I replaced the sensor years ago and the problem went away. It comes back now every once in a while. All other buttons (Fuel Lid Access, Glove Box, Shifter Indicator, etc illuminate perfectly)

Power Windows Work Correctly? I replaced both Power Window motors about 5-6 years ago. The driver’s side is fine, the passenger side motor has a stripped belt and makes that god-awful noise when fully up or when it reaches the stripped part on the way down. Both side windows and side window regulators work smoothly

Power Seats Work Correctly? Yes I think so

Power Door Locks Work Correctly? Yes

Power Antenna Work Correctly? Yes

Original Sound System? Yes, several years ago I had the head unit repaired at a shop in Houston. It works ok but isn’t the greatest. I have replaced the speakers though. Hard to find the correct impedance ones as I remember. Radio has the factory cassette player. If I had a cassette tape I would see if it worked. The door opens when the button is pushed on the CRT touchscreen.

Sound System Fully Functional? Yes

Aftermarket Sound System Equipment? No

Touchscreen: The touchscreen CRT and touch sensitive overlay function perfectly. The original CRT fried on the trip from Houston to Austin in 2003 when my wife and I took the car. At the time, I found and bought CRTs. I had both of them repaired and tested. I installed one and the other is in storage as a spare. It might go with the sale of the car or I might put it on eBay

A/C Functional? Yes

Has the A/C been converted from R12 to R134A? Yes

Does the suspension require any attention? Not that I am aware. It drives like a Buick like it always has. It might still have the original struts but we have never had any problems. The last suspension drive train repair was replacing the CV Joints because one had a leaking seal. The car has no leaks now whatsoever.

Tire Brand: It will need good tires. About 4-5 years ago, I put a set of very inexpensive tires on it as I only drove the care a few hundred miles a year. These tires replaced the Eagle GT+4s that were on the car. The new tires performed admirably on my 1000 mile odyssey from Houston to Littleton.

Factory Wheels? Yes and I have all four lug covers and the original locking lug nuts that came with the car.

Factory Wheel Center Caps Condition: Good

Missing Caps? None

Any Brake Components Replaced? No

Last Time Brake System Was Flushed? Don’t know (if ever)

Original Engine? Yes

Engine is the original engine. It has never been rebuilt. It runs fine except for the fact that it does not get driven enough. I think the long trip helped with the old gas situation considerably. My last repair to the engine was to replace a leaking coil pack. I don’t remember the last tune up, If ever.

Does the engine, cooling system, power steering, or brake system leak any fluids? No Leaks

How often do you change the oil? Every 1,500-3,000 miles. I have used Mobil1 in the car since it has been in my possession. I am not sure what my parents used.

Original Transmission? Yes, original and never rebuilt.

Does Transmission require attention? No

When was last Transmission Service? Can’t remember but has been flushed once

Any Transmission Leaks? No leaks. At least before I moved it to this dryer, colder climate. I have not noticed any so far.

Have CV joints been replaced? Yes, probably around 2,000-3,000 miles ago.

I have a lot of the service records.

I have the window sticker and the car contract order from Bob Marco Buick in Houston.

I also have the original brochure No. 88-BA300

Does the car have the owner’s manual portfolio? Yes

In General, What items need attention? Below is a list of items that need attention:

Overall Description

Needs...

-- Complete Repaint

-- Driver’s Seat Seam Stitching Repaired

-- Headliner Recover

-- Sun Visors Recover

-- Driver’s Lumbar Airbag Replaced

-- Small Interior Items Replaced

-- Windshield Replaced (will pass inspection currently)

-- Cam Rollers in Pop-Up Headlights replaced

-- One Pop-Up Headlight Bell Crank Replaced

-- Trunk Lock Cylinder Retainer Replaced (lock retainer and bezel will sometimes come out)

-- Under Hood Convenience Light Replaced / Repaired

-- Passenger Side Power Window Motor Replaced (currently will work but the gear is stripped and will make noise at the top of the movement).

-- Other Minor Fixes

The Good:

-- Body is extremely straight and rust free. All panels are straight

-- Chassis is tight

-- Drivetrain is solid and has NO leaks whatsoever

-- A/C and heater function normally

-- Touchscreen is functional and sharp (There is also an extra touchscreen as backup)

-- Power accessories function normally (windows, locks, and antennae)

-- Cassette opens on command but function is unknown as I don’t have a tape to play

-- Recently replaced the coil pack

-- All gauges function and display cluster is perfect

-- Brakes are fine

I have listed it here first. It is not on eBay or CL. This car meant a great deal to my mother. She was a car nut who loved red Buicks. Her previous Buick was a Red 1967 Skylark Convertible with white top, black interior, V8 and that crazy Powerglide Tranny. It would be fitting that the Reatta end up in the hands of an enthusiast. If it had hundreds of thousands of miles I would just sell it to anyone on the street with some cash. However, this car is a one-owner, well kept, never wrecked, completely original example of the reason for this forum. If I get no interest here, I will list it elsewhere. Another reason I came here first is that I met Barney Eaton a long time ago. He even gave me an extra R emblem which I have kept all these years. I think it was a wheel cover logo emblem. I always thought that if I sold the car that I would start here as a way to say thanks to Barney for being so cool.

I have a Helm factory manual and a binder with all the parts listings that will go with the car. The only item that might not go with the car is the extra CRT. We can discuss it though.

If you are interested, you can contact me at john@thisoldcave.com or on my cell at 303-717-9963. My name is John.

March 28, 2015

Imperial62:

Interesting about the suede bolsters. A closer look at the Window Sticker says leather and suede 16 way driver's seat but clearly the seats are all leather. Thanks for looking.

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1988 Red Buick Reatta Coupe For Sale in Colorado

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