Snooze

Steven, I've found that with mechanics as with many other specialist professions sometimes it's hard to sit back and look at the project as part of a greater whole. They're so used to fixing one part and then moving on to another part they can't see how parts can affect each other down the line. Y-JobFan. I was thinking Sealskin. 10 year warranty on those. Price is okay. Thanks all for your helpful responses, with any luck I will have some pictures start of next week.

I'm not in a rush to buy anything. I did my homework, found out which parts have been known to fail and located alternatives. I know I don't want a convertable because in all convertables the front and rear ends are connected only by the floor and frame rigidity is compromised. I've been looking at Reattas for over a year. Just prior to this month I was also looking at GTIs, Hyundai Tiburons, and Volvo C30s as well. These are the two that are in my price range, in the condition that I want, in my area. If you know of any others, by all means, throw them in the for sale submenu and I'll consider it. I drove the '88. Mechanically it was without fault so I put some money down on it until finance is sorted out. I think they're out until the new year. As an addendum, I'm not getting this as a show car or an investment. It's also not a beater whip until I can afford something better. It's going to be sort of in between. If something breaks on it and it takes a few months to source a part, I have my daily driver already so it's not a big deal. I also don't have a 120 sq. ft. showroom in my house. I have a carport with a shed nearby. It's going to be parked on gravel mostly outdoors 365 days a year.

Dashmaster. Yeah it is. I looked under the floorpans and wheel wells, and saw no signs of systemic corrosion. I think the guy inherited it from someone who was a car guy. He didn't repaint it himself but it was done by a shop not some guy with an air compressor. It looks like the door panels were removed and the underbody was sprayed as well. Though there is some signs of overspray on the tailpipe and frame, there isn't any on the glass or plastic trim pieces. I had no interest in convertibles for a number of reasons. Will report back again after I've driven the '88.

Also have to say when I drove the '91 I was impressed by the Reatta's road presence. It was a very comfortable ride for a low down hunkered car. It shifted smooth and glided over the bumps, and I just wanted to keep driving forever.

Seems like everyone is saying go with the '88. I would say before reading the responses I would have saved the trip, bought the '91 and not given it a second thought. Now I'm thinking the least I need to do is drive the '88 to get a comparison. I am looking to keep this as a second car. My daily is a 2012 Lincoln MKz Hybrid with 48,000 miles on it. I would be driving the '88 on nice summer days that I want to cruise some of the backroads we have around here. I live less than 10 miles from work. I would drive it to work every now and then in good weather to show off a piece of late 20th century swag every now and then. Choosing this over a RWD pony car cause it snows a bit around here and I don't want something that's only practical 5 months out of a year. Also if the Lincoln has to go into the shop for anything, I want to know I have something reliable-ish to back it up with. Just to clarify-- I'm not afraid to work on the car, just concerned about future availability of parts. Some people have also noted the Magnavox ignition assembly is also something that is tricky to update properly. Can anyone attest to this positively or negatively? One benefit if I go with the 91, it has a Buick service manual for the car, with complete notes taken by a previous owner that did a decent amount of work to it already. @Y-JobFan Partly because with it being more expensive, I can't just pay the whole thing out of pocket, and I'm pretty sure this dealer has finance options for classic cars right off the bat. Since it's not a very expensive classic car, I'm not afraid to get taken for a moderate sized ride. Especially if it's from a reputable credit company. That being said it is something I could finance out over the course of one year. Or probably until I get my tax return. And for anyone who is about to say. "Just save the money and do a cash sale then." Eh. I'm not going to do that. Some fancy thing will land in front of me in April, like a gun or a girl that I have to have, and I'll wind up blowing the Reatta money on that so. Yeah. Long story short, this is happening one way or the other very soon.

So, I have this conundrum. I 've owned a few Camaros in the past, 88-91 range. This will be my first Reatta. I have two options though. One is low miles. Low. 64000 to be exact. Dealer sell from a location that specializes in classics. The only issues are is that it's an 88 model with a tevis system and the original Magnavox ignition. It's also on the other side of the state, which on my list of concerns is low, but just to see it, I have to drive about 550 miles round trip. It's also about 2500 more expensive. If the pictures are to be believed, the car is super clean though. It's in concourse ready condition. The other is also a clean car. No undercarriage rust, no wheel well corrosion. Garage kept. 112,000 miles. It's a 1991. It's inspected through August 2019. I have driven this car. There are some clunks in the front end with the suspension rebound. I think this might be loose strut bearings. The brakes feel a bit spongey but I think the system just needs bled. The cruise control doesn't seem to work. (I haven't been able to engage it.). And the sunroof does open and close but it's slow. (might need lubrication). It's also not the original paint. Someone painted it a bright blue color. It has all the original paperwork. It had its brake lines replaced about 5K ago, and the main belt was replaced around 10,000 miles ago. There are no issues that I can hear, see, feel, or smell, with the motor or transmission. The power steering system has no hesitation or weight. The controls and displays are all functional. As the car warms up the temperature gauge rises appropriately. I would describe this car as road ready but would need like 5 or 6 grand of restoration to return to concourse which I don't really care to do. I'm not sure which I should go with. The less expensive car is enticing because the parts are more modern, but the 88 is so nice looking. The mechanical woes with replacement parts are a concern but the miles are half as much. Please let me know what you think. I can answer any and all questions.