ol' yeller
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Posts posted by ol' yeller
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Whatever you do, don't use a butterknife like the PO of my car did. It really boogered up the face of the stereo.
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Sean,
90's Reattas have an off switch on the stalk.
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I'd need more information but I would consider being a moderator if the job description fits within my capabilities. How do I find out more? I'll also post this on Peter's thread.
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Having owned several cars from the '60s, mostly '65 Skylarks, I have become accustomed to dealing with the inherent problems of a 40 plus year old car. I held my Reattas to a different standard as they were "new" cars. Yesterday, I came out to my car and noticed that one of my tires was going flat. No problem, I just aired it up and drove to the local Les Schwab to have the nail removed and the hole fixed. After about an hour they called me to the desk to pick up the car. I asked the tech what caused the flat? He said that I had some corrosion on my wheels and they didn't allow the tire bead to seat properly. There was no charge, he fixed the problem, have a nice day!
I was shocked. My beautiful Reatta convertible that had been pampered all its life had developed a corrosion problem? Yes, it was inside the tire where you couldn't see it, but this was a typical "Old Car" problem.
Now a day later, I feel somewhat better. I guess I have to admit that my car is actually 23 years old and it will have some of the problems that older cars develop. As the weather is going to pretty nice today, I think I'll treat her to a nice bath and vacuuming and then go on a spirited romp through the countyside this afternoon with the top down. Maybe I can creep back into the land of denial.... It's a good thing I'm not getting old too!
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This,
I would sure put a compression gauge on that cylinder if the ignition doesn't help. -
Not to send you away, you will get great advice here too, but you might want to go to RegalGS , The Regals are a very close cousin to the Century, I had a 98 Regal GS and it went like stink with the supercharged 3800.
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Bryan, You are describing exactly how my current car was listed on CL. A follow up email went unanswered and a new ad included new wording, "Don't email me with a bunch of stupid questions". I almost passed it up. I swallowed my anger and made an appointment to go see the car without mentioning my email. I found a 1 owner car with only 87K well cared for miles that came with complete documentation. The owner was just eccentric, go figure.
I agree when the ad is free you should give as much information as you can. Some people became accustomed to the old newspaper ads where you were charged by the character. Others are just lazy. Another peeve of mine is how they don't list pertinent information like price or mileage. It's like they think that if they just get you to call they can talk you past the fact that it is overpriced or has 250,000 miles.
Every car I have ever sold (and there have been a lot) I sold to the first person who came and looked at it. I figure if I describe the car accurately, answer as much as I can before they come honestly, I only get lookers who are really interested. I also clean and detail the car before they come so it shines like a bright new penny. Too often I went to look at cars that haven't been vacuumed in years and there is food gunk trapped in the creases of the seats. I figure if they can't take any care to sell their car, they haven't taken care of the car during their ownership either. My first Reatta was one of these. I purchased it off Ebay in Chicago over 10 years ago. I had it inspected by a local Buick dealer before agreeing to purchase. When I arrived to drive it home to Seattle, I found a filthy interior, bad struts and no license plates. I amost walked away from the deal and hopped on my return flight home. The dealership missed the bad struts. They were so bad that I had to stop halfway home and get them replaced just to make the remaining trip comfortable. The car did turn out to be an OK car and I enjoyed the next few years of ownership but I'll never buy an out of state car on Ebay again.
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On a previous Reatta, I took my injectors to a nearby DR Injector shop. They rebuilt and tested them for around $75 if my memory serves. That way I knew I was getting them back with no problems.
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Welcome! Where is the car located? While these were expensive cars 23 years ago, the market hasn't been kind, especially to a car with challenges. Do you have any idea of how many miles are on it? Fill out the above form and we can give you a better idea of what to expect. Your dilemma will be that us Reattaphiles love these cars but we are also painfully aware of what the market is for them. While Buick only made about 24,000 of them over the 4 years of production, rare doesn't mean money. Also yours is a '90 which is the most common in one of the most common colors. Not trying to discourage you, just injecting some reality.
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Go here, VATS/Passkey System Bypass Instructions - Reatta Owners Journal
The ROJ is your friend!
Welcome.
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There's a special tool used to compress this plate so you can remove the snap ring.
The "special tool" is readilly available at your FLAPS for not a lot of money. Look on the "Help" rack
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This is just sad. One of the reasons why I bought my latest Reatta was because of the comraderie on this website. This car is now my third Reatta over a span of 15 years. Many of the folks I knew over the years are still here while others have moved on. Just this morning I mentioned to my wife how sad it was to see the sniping back and forth over stupid stuff on this website.
3 years ago I almost died from a heart attack and subsequent heart rupture. I was in a coma in the ICU for about 4 weeks. My hospital stay was for 6 weeks total. From that horrible experience I learned some life lessons. One is that you are never as important as might think you are. Another is that you do make a difference in the lives of others in ways you never know. It was a major life change for me. When I learned of people who were praying for me or affected as a result of my near death I was amazed at the reach of one person's influence. I'm not polishing my own apple, this applies to practically everyone. I pray that for most of you, a near death experience isn't required for you to see this light.
This common bond we share, the love of the Reatta, endures despite petty jealousies, perceived slights, and hurt feelings. We need to stay connected and share information and knowledge to keep these great cars on the road. Everybody has personality flaws, me included. Can't we just see past this and focus on what we have in common? Ronnie, I need your advice and wonderful website to help me understand these complex machines. I think we are close to the same age (I'm almost 60) and I trust you have enough life experience to realize that eliminating this relationship is going to be most troubling to you. I have had issues with people in the BCA and I have found the best way to solve those issues was to try and talk it out and failing that, eliminate unpleasant people from my sphere of influence. There are plenty of nice folks with whom I can enjoy our joint obsession. Hopefully you have enough positive experiences to realize there are many more of us who appreciate what you do than those who have issues with you.
It is strange how in this hobby we seem to eat our own rather than encourage them to take a risk and support them with our money. I just watched a great Muscle car shop close because of internet sniping. The owner discovered that the amount of money he was making wasn't sufficient to put up with unreasonableness. He closed his business.
Of all the forums on this website, the Reatta forum was and is the most active. Think about that. Many of the marks here have been in production for over 100 years and they get a few posts a week. Reattas were only made for 4 years. Let's focus on what we have in common and not on what tears us apart.
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Brian. pencil me in. The only problem may be that my Mother In Law's Bday is on the 4th. I'll let you know if we are coming. We will be in my '90 Reatta convertible.
Greg
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It was an interesting read but strange that the LeMay Museum was chosen, in my opinion. I have never been but it's my understanding the LeMay is so large that a person can't comfortably see all the cars in one day and 2. it's up in the northwest so it won't be seen by too many people.
Bryan, You are confusing the LeMay Collection and Open House with the LeMay Museum. While the LeMay Collection had thousands of cars, the LeMay family opens the collection to the public the last Saturday of August. The collection is displayed between the LeMay family home and grounds as well as Marymoor which is a convent that Harold purchased to store and display his cars. During this event, the LeMay family provides double decker antique busses to transport the public between the 2 venues. It is very difficult to see everything in the day long event but I guarantee that you will come away satisfied with the time you spent. At this event, there are also numerous clubs and individuals that bring their collector cars to show on the convent grounds. It is truly a car guy's day long, epitome of heaven.
The LeMay Museum is a much different venue. It too is open to the public as well as offering docent tours to groups. Admission here is not free. I'm pretty sure it is open all year long. They display a small portion of Harold LeMay's beauties (compared to how many he had) as well as select cars from other individuals upon invitation. It is certainly well within the capabilities of most individuals to see the entire museum in a day. The Museum is also a well spent time for anyone who loves vehicles and well worth the price of admission. Museum stock is rotated to keep the display fresh and give repeat visitors something new to look at.
There are plenty of car guys here in the Northwest but this Museum was built as a tourist attaction for the city of Tacoma, Washington. So far, it has proved to be just that. Not everyone lives on the east side of the Rockies. The greater Seattle/Tacoma region actually has a very large and robust population. It is also pretty safe here as we have eliminated most of the bear attacks and Sasquatch stays pretty much in the rain forest which is a couple hours away by car. Come and see for yourself. The 2014 National will be just 3 hours south of here next year!
Greg
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For those of you who haven't seen SeanR's '88, it is probably the cleanest, best detailed car on the planet. When I park my '90 vert next to him at a show, I have to keep my hood closed out of shame. I plan to get some lessons from him on how to make my car shine again.
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Marck, While I can't afford $1,800 for the parts, I'd gladly contribute $250 to help get them reproduced. Especially if the investment allows me to purchase set at an appropriate price considering manufacturing cost and a return on your investment. I'll send in my contribution when you have a committment from this community in the amount you need.
PS that cheapskate comment hurt a little LOL
Greg
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Actually, no. When I had the top replaced it has begun to sluff off along the bottom. I have used some black weatherstrip glue and right now it doesn't look too bad but it is only going to get worse. I figure it would be better to get it now if someone has it rather than wait until I have to have it and no one has it
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I've been reading the FSM section on the heat and AC section. It couldn't possibly be more complex than I think. Hee, hee
That's because selecting Defrost circumvents the programming in the EBCM that delays the operation of the fan to prevent blowing cold air when heat is called for, and hot air when the AC is selected. There is a table in the FSM that explains all the scenarios when various modes are called for and what the engine, interior and exterior temperatures are at time. It's more complex than you probably think it is. -
Every year on the last Saturday in August, the LeMay family opens up their home and the nearby old convent Marymoor to allow the public in to view Harold's massive collection. They even provide transportation between the venues in old classic double decker busses. If you were impressed with the 90 minute video, this event will leave you speechless.
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2 words, Jim Finn - jfinn@cpinternet.com
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You sir, have my sympathies!
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Marck, I am looking for one particular convertible weatherstrip. The one on driver's side that runs from the bottom of the rear of the window to the top. PM me if you have or get a nice one.
Greg
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Mine does the same but I find that if I select Defrost first, the fan comes on much quicker and stays on when switched to Heater as long as the fan speed Auto is not selected. It is one of those things I have yet to delve into.
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I know some people who are docents at the LeMay Museum. I can probably arrange a private tour if there is enough interest. Let's make that a separate get together. There are lots of events in the summer to gather at. The best one would be the Puget Sound Chapter's All Buick Open in June. I'll find out the date and let anyone interested know when it is. While this is a peer judged event it is a lot of fun and you certainly don't need a show car to participate. Every year we have over 100 Buicks from old to newer for a full day of Buick fun. Years ago I brought my '65 Skylark that had some rust issues and different colored body panels. I not only had a great time talking about my car and Buicks in general but my car won the "Most Ambitious Project" award. The next year after a lot of work, I won "Most Improved" and "Best In Class"!
1990 RED REATTA CONVERTIBLE
in Buick Reatta
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PRICE?