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Hi, does anyone know whether the Reatta Logo is copyrighted? Like, for instance, if you wanted to embroider t-shirts or jackets (if you were in that industry) to sell on e-bay or on the internet, could you? Thanks in advance.

Hi Everyone. Back from a glorious vacation at Wrightsville Beach N.C to the new format. So far it seems o.k. As long as I can communicate with you all, it is o.k. by me but it did take alittle getting used to. By the way, I did not see one Reatta on my whole trip! I had to drive an Escort because of a last minute breakdown on my own Reatta. In defence of the Escort, it drove fine and dandy up and down the beautiful country in West Virginia. That is truly God's Country! Anyway, on to my coorespondance. I just wanted to let you all know that I purchaced one of those aftermarket antennas on e-bay and I have had nothing but headaches with it. I have had to purchace conections at Radio shack and everything. It hooked up relatively easily but the pick up quality is really poor. I have little hissing noises in the back ground and it won't even pick up certain stations. The only problem with my original antenna was the motor would not shut off! Any tips would be gratiously appreciated. Especially if some one else who bought one could tell me the correct color matches on the wiring. I currently have pink to blue and orange to red. Could this be the problem? I have also had to splice the coaxial wire coming from the front of the trunk. I got the splicing kit from radio shack and I am confident that the splices are good ( I did them twice already) and understand the tediousness of the splice. Hope someone out there can give me some wisdom. Second item: I saw a G.M. service manual on e-bay this morning. Would it be in my best interest to buy a Helms manual instead or is the G. M. one sufficient. Thanks again. How Cool...I'm a Senior Member Now! That makes my day! I guess this format is o.k. :

J-Rover, That's a real fine vehicle you have for sale on e-bay. I wish I could afford to come to Cal. to buy it. Why are you selling such a rare beauty? Also thought your wheels were vey cool!

I drive through Pontiac Michigan on my way to and from work every day. About one week ago I saw a green convertable with a british tan top for sale on a busy street corner. Unfortunately, I was late for work that day and did not stop. When I went back by that way 2 days later, it was gone. I guess it could have been a repaint or something. It was very unusual but I still prefered my black one!

Hi, Chuck, wondered what part of Michigan you are from. I'm from Waterford (next to Pontiac). I thought if you were close by, I'd like to see how your restoration is going. I am planning on the same in about two years. A new garage and kitchen is first. Would like to have contact with some one who can recommend good paint sevices and other little quirks to watch for...

Just a curious observation made by a passenger in my Reatta. He noticed that the seat belt on the passenger seat <BR>(closest to the console) is burgundy while the interior of the car is tan. I am speaking of the strap which can be seen peeking through the plastic cover thingy. The other seastbelts are all tan. Would they have used another color, on the production line, say, if there wasn't enough of the proper color left to complete the day's orders, or what.? I know the two previous owners of the car and neither claim responsibility for ever having replaced the seat belt. Just wondered if anyone else has noticed this sort of thing.

I live in Waterford,Michigan which is in Oakland County (South Eastern Lower area of the state) and see several Reattas a week around here. (two of which are in my driveway!) When I go to visit relatives in N.Y, though, I've never even seen one there and I visit at least once a year.I've never seen a Select 60 or a green one but all other colors seem to be represented in this area.

Just had to jump up and down for joy and tell everyone that I finally started the engine in the wrecked parts car I bought . I was the one looking for the coil pack module and pig tail a few weeks back. I met our friend Jim in Minnesota on this site. He had the parts I needed at a real reasonable price and he's a real nice guy, too, I might add. We had a decent weather day here in Michigan and my son and I started her up this morning! It runs great and even the trans seems to be fine! It isn't even leaking a drop of oil! It'll be goin' in my "good" Reatta as soon as the weather gets nice.Thanks again to all on this site.

Had my '89 up to 102 m.p.h. for a quck little dash just last summer up in Canada coming home from Syracuse. There just was nobody around. I could'nt resist. Was on kilometer meter and switched over to m.p.h. just to compare. Boy was surprised. If I might, I'd like to share a cool speed story. I live directly behind a county regional airport. My boyfriend and I frequently squeeze throught the fence to rollerblade on the asphalt between the private hangars after dark. One wonderful summer evening we decided to go over there.We went around a bit and then sat down in the grass to take a breather and watch a plane coming in for a landing and a county worker drove up to us to ask us what we were doing there. He was very social after he realized we were not a threat. He told us he primarily works for fire prevention portion of the airport. He drives one of the fire trucks if there is a catastrophie or fire. He asked us if we wanted to go to the hangar building where they keep the fire trucks. We hopped into his truck with our roller blades still on. After we got there and had our own private tour, he asked us if we wanted a ride. He said it was a good night for a "practice" run. Just like exited little kids, we very enthusiastically said "yes". Let me tell you what, it was a ride I will never forget. He took us right down the middle of the main runway, 75 m.p.h. in a state-of-the-art fire engine with the runway lights ushering our way in the darkness. It was the biggest rush. We felt so exhilerated! We have both marked it as one of the special highlights of our relationship. Incidentally, this was before 9-11. We have not attempted to skate over there since it happened, so maybe our ride was a once-in-a-lifetime event. I know it was for me!

Would that oil pressure switch then be an issue to consider? Could it cause the fuel supply to be shut down? We will only be able to start it up and let it run for a very few minutes, anyway, because the radiator, ect. is toast. I really am just curious as to whether this engine is worth saving. If it knocks or is seized or something I will probably just strip it for any usable parts. I probably sound like a real amateur but so far I have been able to do a number of my own repairs successfully. I'm a lady with a moderate amount of mechanical ability but no garage so these things go slowly and adjust themselves with the weather which is currently FREEZING in Michigan. I am determined to have my good Reatta for the rest of my life so I figure I will do my homework and plot and plan my next move while the weather is yucky. Thanx again.

This is the unit with 3 "boxes" so I guess it is the Magnavox product. I will be getting in touch with Jim to see if he has what I need. The car is an '89. Do you guys know anything about that "killswitch" thing I heard about. I know there is such a thing on an Escort. It was in the trunk. Thanks

My '89 has been all over the place in the four plus years of ownership. As low as 10.5 during second year (winter months, around town) and as high as 26.4 summer time trip- highway driving). After the 10.4 episode, I knew something was wrong and changed the oxygen sensor which really helped. Raised it back up to 16-18 around town. It's back down again to about 14 so I will change the sensor again in the spring. Also changed to sinthetic oil after reading feedback on this sight. Thanks. Don't know that it made a significant difference (except in my pocket book) but I'm more comfortable with the idea of no viscosity break down. Also, in general I think it's a good idea to regularly check tire pressure. I've found that it can make a big difference in ride and gas milage in any vehicle and it is something that alot of the world never does on a regular basis.

Sorry for the delay in responding. My computer was having problems for a few days. This "module" is located to the side of the vehicle near the battery. It is the black box with six indented squares on the top. ( about the size of a block of Velveeta cheese!) The "pigtail" is the wiring that plugs into the black box. The prong holes on the black box "module" are damaged. The prongs on the "pigtail" look to be all there but the plastic "thingie" they are mounted in is broken in half. Also have heard that there is some kind of "kill" switch which trips when a vehicle sustains a jarring collision and that we should be aware of that as well. Is this true? Thanks again and sorry for the delay.

We are attempting to try to start an engine in a Reatta which has sustained front end damage. (purchaced as a parts car) Currently it shorts itself out if you attempt to turn it over. We have removed the broken plastic bumper assembly, the tip-ups, air conditioning parts, the fan assembly, ect. We know we need a module and a pigtail (both of which are damaged due to the accident ). I really do not want to "borrow" these things from my other Reatta. I was wondering what I should expect to pay at a salvage yard for these parts. I don't want to buy them new in case the engine turns out to be toast, nor do I want to get ripped off. Thanks in advance for the advice.

Welcome to the club! You are awfully brave to buy your Reatta and live in the U.K. We have such a hard time coming by parts and knowlegeable and trustworthy mechanics here in the states, I could not even imagine having one over there!. I'm sure you get alot of curious looks, though.Hope you and the owner of the other one can hook up for tea and trade stories. Good Luck and enjoy....

Just so funny reading about your sunbird. I owned two of those way back in my past and the only thing I remember about both was that they had sprung door hinges and you had to pick up on that HEAVY, HEAVY door and draw it towards you to get it closed! Just a little memory I had nearly forgotten after 20 yearsor so! Good luck selling your parts. You might bebefit from e-bay!....Lisa

My driver's door handle on my '89 broke 2 years ago. I took the broken one to a large local auto salvage yard and the guy matched it up perfectly with a door handle from a Lumina/Corsica. He only charged me 15.00 for it. There is only one catch, however, there is a weld on the original door handle that connects a cable to the lock switch (the manual one with the orange color in it) inside the door. The replacement handle did not have this feature. Other than that, it matched up perfectly. The little plastic switch on the inside doesn't funtion. The door will still lock and open and everything just the switch will not move up and down and show the orange indicator color. I figured this was a small price to pay to get into my car normally after several months of opening the passenger door and reaching across! Also, changing that handle really tears up your knuckles so wear some gloves if you can. The space between the inner and outer door panel is VERY tight. May I also suggest painting the frame around the handle first. My car is black and the one I bought was red. I have had to touch up the area near the seam a few times. If I had to do it again that is what I would do. Hope this will help you.

Something that has intrigued me for the 4 1/2 years of Reatta ownership ( 1989 )is that when you push the test button for the dash lights, it shows a " car is leveling" light and also a "twilight" light. Were these options only or are they lights that only work if there is a problem? Also, when I first got my car, when I set the alarm or when I first got in the vehicle, the Reatta logo would show in the dash. It has not done this in over a year now and I wondered why. I am not having any other problems with the dash except for on and off problem with the indicator lights above and below the e.c.c ( the ones that say..climate, summary ect.) This is a recent developement and based on what I have been reading may be a bad connection or one that needs cleaned. I plan to investigate further when the weather gets decent and the tarp is removed for the next season. Thanks in advance for any advice.....Lisa

Something that has intrigued me for the 4 1/2 years of Reatta ownership ( 1989 )is that when you push the test button for the dash lights, it shows a " car is leveling" light and also a "twilight" light. Were these options only or are they lights that only work if there is a problem? Also, when I first got my car, when I set the alarm or when I first got in the vehicle, the Reatta logo would show in the dash. It has not done this in over a year now and I wondered why. I am not having any other problems with the dash except for on and off problem with the indicator lights above and below the e.c.c ( the ones that say..climate, summary ect.) This is a recent developement and based on what I have been reading may be a bad connection or one that needs cleaned. I plan to investigate further when the weather gets decent and the tarp is removed for the next season. Thanks in advance for any advice.....Lisa

Havn't been on for a couple of days what with family activities and all. Just would like to say "Happy New Year" to all of you whom I love to read about and giggle at. To one and all but " drive it ...", and padgett- you guys know just EVERYTHING. And Ray- thanks for the nice welcome message, and Barney, I hope to meet you one day. You are like the owners manual of these special people. Thank you. Many good wishes from Waterford, Michigan to all the Reatta brothers and sisters out there....Lisa

I agree that the there is something about that grill on that Bengal.Too much like "yer Daddy's Buick" or something. I kinda think the Reatta was ahead of it's time. I don't think there were enough baby boomers, at the time, who could afford one. It didn't have enough seats for toting kids and groceries. Now, some of us have raised our children and we are finally in the position to think about purchacing a car with only two seats. I believe that the two-seater market is picking up again. I see a lot of two seaters around-That little beamer and that Audi and what about the new T-bird? If Buick wanted to re-introduce a two-seater, I think this would be a good time. I am only guessing at this theory from being concious of what else I see out there that makes me look. The baby boomer market is the one to market cars like this to. What does everyone else think?

Hey Ray - Do tell about the walnut wood treatments.They are very attractive. Where did you find someone to do such a fine job?

I have two. My black 'n tan '89 which is my "baby" and another black (w/red) '89 totalled in the front which I purchased as a parts car. I "met" my car the first time when it was owned by the previous owner. He brought it by for my ex-husband to do brakes on it back in 1991. I was paid to detail it and even back then I thought it was the coolest little car I ever saw! Little did I know that 8 years later I would be the owner! I still feel like a queen when I'm behind that wheel. I will never get rid of mine. I never thought I would ever have a car like this and now that I have it I intend to keep it forever! I really feel like the member of a very special group and as the years go on ...even more special. It's alittle like being included in the "good ol' boys" Reatta club whenever I come here to read! Thanks guys!

I also wanted to say thank you to all of you on this site for all of the great information and the humor exchanged. I am now a regular visitor although I have owned my '89 for over four years. I have learned alot of valuable info here such as instructions for changing the twilight sensor. I would not even have known there was such a thing if I hadn't visited this place. It would be fun to meet some of you someday. I must also tell you all that I must be blessed with a really good Reatta cuz' some of the problems I read about seem very complicated and annoying. I have 194,000 on mine and the worst thing that has happened to me was having to have the trans rebuilt 4 weeks after I bought it and the guy I bought it from paid for that because he felt guilty! Long live my little "puddle jumper"!