ranchero
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Posts posted by ranchero
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What are the details; c'mon more info!<P>Colors - car, top, interior, dash, carpets<BR>VIN<BR>Engine<BR>Mileage<BR>Options
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Boy that'd be great, huh? Two or three years after Ford gets the much better looking Thunderbird out; everyone in the market for an attractive and reliable $40K American roadster will have a T-Bird by then. <P>Buick needs something, but the Bengal is too little, too late. Can you say "Reatta"? Or how about "Riviera convertible"? "Allante"? <P>C'mon GM. Buick needs something distinctive, luxurious, elite and very well styled. Do it quickly. Do it right. And if you do luck out on both, then don't cancel the car 'cause you need the factory to build SUVs. <P>No confidence in GM's ability here!
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Hello Barbara. Regarding your Reatta, please post complete information on this car. This should include: the price; the mileage; the VIN. If there is an inspection requirement in the state where the car is licensed, please advise if the car is current on safety and/or emissions inspections. Please also advise in detail about condition of the car as well as options (16 way seat, sunroof, cd). Does the car have any body damage or has it been in an accident after which repairs were completed? Are you a BCA member? Is there an e-mail contact? Can you post several photographs of the car or can you e-mail photos of the car? Are you the original owner and if so what was the original selling dealer? Thank you.
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For a 1982 (as well as 1983 - 1985) Buick Riviera convertible there were only two colors offered.<P>If your car is red your paint code is 74 (seventy four) and the paint was called by Buick "firemist red".<P>If your car is white your paint code is 11 (eleven) and the paint was called by Buick "white". Other GM divisions have called this color "arctic white".<P>These two colors were used also on the Riviera coupe as well as on the Eldorado and the Eldorado convertible from 1984 & 1985.
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RE: collectible car insurance rates. I have been able to get very good "collectible car limited use" rates from State Farm. The newest car receiving this rating from State Farm is a 1984 GMC Caballero - one stored a great majority of the time and driven perhaps 1,000 to 1,250 miles per year. A Reatta may be too new for this rate, but maybe not. I first got this rate in the year 2000, when the car was 16 model years old.
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Darrin: Please tell us where you live!<P>While it may be a perfectly wonderful place, I don't want to drive any of my cars there. Is it, let me guess, a big city in the east?<P>Thank you for your warning and advice.
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I have more questions.<P>When is the auction over? If my Current bid ($1.00) is the high bid, you will certainly honor it, won't you? What other ancillary items relating to Reatta are also for sale?
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Ya know, Mike, the miles matter on a used car. Did you forget to post some information?
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I need a used tire gague. I need a tire gague for my Ranchero!<P>I offer $1.00. -Ranchero-
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Centurion - I have been reading Peter Egan (in both Road & Track and in Cycle World) for years. He has extremely diverse mechanical interests, including Piper Cubs, Moto Guzzi and Ducati motorcycles, Porsche & Jaguar cars and various electric guitars. A couple of years ago he wrote another column on the Buick. He bought the car, high mileage but well maintained and rust free, from a friend's mom in Madison who was no longer driving a car but who had a history of Buicks in her background. While the Buick is not his main automotive interest, it does serve him well as his winter car and only sedan. That a man with such sophisticated automotive tastes and knowledge has such appreciation for Buicks makes me smile too.
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In the new (July) issue of Road & Track, the great writer Peter Egan focuses on his memories of the style and cultural position of the Buick.<P>His parents were Buick owners. He mentions some specific cars that he remembers, but really covers the special flavor of the Buick. He even describes Buicks as cars for happy times. <P>The inspiration for the column was a trip to Zimbrick Buick in Madison to get the oil changed on his 120,000 plus mileage '80s Buick. Read and enjoy; the column is well worthwhile for anyone interested in the story of Buick.
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Barney - this is fascinating information. There is more information known about Reattas than just about any other car out there. Limited production + fanatic owners = wealth of knowledge. I think that if you and a few others get around to co-writing that Reatta book it will be a thick and quality text. Keep developing the info; I enjoy knowing about these unique cars.
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As for cars and politics, I'm partial to the Studebaker Dictator.
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please provide complete information.<P>interior color?<BR>mileage?<BR>location of the car?
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important to know - WHERE IS THE CAR?
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The '60s MGB I drove in the 70's had its two six volt batteries mounted under panels, under the carpeting, behind the two seats. One the Wisconsin winter they froze. There was not enough room under there for a proper 12 volt, nor was there in the engine compartment. Solution was to mount a 12 volt Sears Die Hard in the trunk. <P>Right rear corner of trunk is also location of battery mounting for Mazda Miata.
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in re: GM & wagons.<P>yes, they will make wagons, but in the normal GM manner - too late. GM is just now catching up with Ford in the F-150 class pickup - in time for $3/gallon fuel. ditto the excellent new GM trio of SUVs - up to par with Explorer/Mountaineer finally, with fuel an issue.<P>GM will make a few wagons here and there. The small Pontiac Vibe seems (but for its typical Pontiac overstyled front end) to be quite a nice concept. Of course a better looking, better built twin will be available from Toyota. And by the time GM gets more wagons out there will be entries from Mazda (one this year, maybe a 626 wagon soon), Ford (Sable replacement is rumored to be a wagon based on the new European Mondeo, either 2wd or 4wd). <P>it is not just the historic buick division that faces jeopardy. it is the entire corporation. it may be possible that only ford will survive as an american business concern; toyota could easily capture gm.
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who built the '81 eldo convertible? can not help, but good suggestions are h/e & asc. after the last american convertible of the '70s ('76 eldorado), there was not much rag top interest for several years. however there was a very custom conversion on the first generation cadillac seville during the late '70s. this was a two door convt., even though the donor car started as a four door. there were conversions on mustangs with fairly crude convertible tops.<P>the '82>'85 riviera and '84>'85 eldorado convertibles were sold by buick and cadillac with full gm warranties. the cars were manufactured in linden, new jersey as hardtops, minus the rear seat. the cars were shipped to asc in michigan for conversion to convertible. they were good cars for conversion, being body on frame (not unibody) cars. the top was chopped off; new, narrower rear seating was fabricated and the working top mechanism was installed. the buick was available only in firemist red or white. the cadillac was also available in blue.<P>a conversion of an '81 eldorado would make sense; the car is essentially identical to the '84/'85 that cadillac eventually got around to. <P>an odd conversion of this era was the oldsmobile cutlass cierra - the front wheel drive unibody mid-sized car. h/e did a convertible conversion to the car that required the addition of an obvious and ungainly frame underneath the unibody. this was not a pretty car and should not have been successful.
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there is a pretty '73 coupe for sale on the rocky mountain chapter site. hit the link at the bca home page. long drive from tennessee, but our cars out here are better.
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gee - must be a sedan, huh? <P>a non-running four door sedan, oh boy! don't bother with the pictures.
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Jade - yes, there are some attractive coupe concepts from Ford. In addition to the Forty Nine, look at the Lincoln Mark 9 (not IX). It is too long and does have some too busy areas, but it is generally stunning. The roofline and interior are especially attractive. The public unveiling was, I believe, the New York Auto Show recently. It is built on a Ford Crown Victoria pan and could be produced. Plus, Ford has been able to bring the retro Thunderbird concept to (almost) fruition. I am hoping that Buick will revive a luxury coupe by mid-decade.
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Know what? Buick has a habit of producing cars like this. (So does Ford.) Every decade or so there is a memorable, beautiful, sometimes rare, two door, inexplicably desirable Buick car. '53/'54 Skylark. '63/'65 Riviera. '66 Riviera, almost as stunning as the '66 Toronado. Boat Tail. '80s Riviera convertible. mid '80s GN/GNX. '88/'91 Reatta. '95/'99 Riviera. Despite bread 'n butter boring LeSabres, they still are able to put it all together once a decade and come up with something that makes car people completely nuts. Is the Bengal next? The Blackhawk? Don't know. But for me there is something just terribly attractive about any less than mass market two door Buick - Reatta and all the others too.
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fuel filter.
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Buick, the snobs that they were (with justification) and remained up until the last one in 1996, liked to market the car as an "Estate Wagon". <P>Station wagons were originally called "depot hacks". they were hand built woodys on Ford chassis. They were used by hotels and resorts to run to the train station. therefore, they became known also as "station wagons". <P>but Buicks were a bit upscale. Their wagons didn't serve stations, but rather "estates".<P>therefore, "Buick Estate Wagon". This is certainly one of the reasons I like Buicks.<P>Other thought provoking names for station wagons include "shooting brake"; "Country Sedan"; "Country Squire"; "Colony Park"; "Town & Country" - all having some connection as their use as a rich person's rural runabout. <P>"Estate Wagon" does sound good.
GM gives go-ahead for Bengal production- May appear as a 2004!
in Buick - General
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Centurion: I know that the T-Bird and the Bengal concept car are different, especially considering the provision for the rear door. The Thunderbird, four of which I saw last weekend at an all Ford show, is absolutely stunning. Ford did a tremendous job of integrating traditional T-Bird styling cues into the thoroughly modern but also American car (big round tail lights, aqua Thunderbird emblems, eggcrate grille, interior design). The Buick car does have some, but would be very lucky to pull the scheme off as well as Ford has done.<P>Now the demand for a convertible is quite limited. Buick sells currently only four door sedans and a new, underpowered mini-van. A beautiful convertible could help showroom demographics. However that Buick's may have a rear seat doesn't really put the car in a niche that the T-Bird ignores. Both cars will be vying in the same market - second or third cars, weekend cars, country club cars. For Ford the T-Bird will raise the age and income level of showroom customers; for Buick the car would hopefully lower the age of customers. When GM finally gets the car to the market, the Buick convertible will absolutely have to compete with the Thunderbird and it's 2+ year head start.<P>And in competition it has clearly to be a loser. The T-Bird has the 3.9 litre V-8 in the Lincoln LS rwd platform. Will the Bengal be anything other than an anemic fwd V-6? Really? <P>PS - I got a model of the Bengal. It is a 1/64 scale die cast (Hot Wheels size) from the Asian manufacturer "Maisto". It is nicely finished in a light blue metallic with painted details added (portholes, head lights & tail lights). The wheels are not good. About $3 at Wal Mart.