reattadudes

Dave, it's interesting that you ask that question. I was very fortunate to spend the entire afternoon yesterday with Tony Alberto. Tony was the chief engineer and troubleshooter on the Reatta project, and worked at the Craft Centre from day one, all the way from the Reatta to the EV1, Cavalier and Sunfire convertibles, the Chevrolet SSR, and the final years of the Eldorado before he retired. He needed some parts for his Reatta. I have an arrangement with him; the parts are always free, in exchange for information about his time with the Reatta at the Craft Centre. and yesterday the first thing I said was, "tell me about green convertibles". were you perhaps sitting on my shoulder? there were four built. the first two were technically sold retail units, but they did not pass muster for cowl shake when road tested on the I-95 "torture road" in West Palm Beach, Florida. they were rated #2 by the engineers, so these were among the 46 GM executive units sold to GM employees in a lottery type system when they reached 7,500 miles. Tony then brought out a photo I've seen before, of all 46 together in a lot at a GM facility. it was a beautiful May day in 1991 (the photo was date stamped), and the photo was taken from the roof of the building. the two green cars are in the front row, side by side. it is obvious they are green for two reasons: 1) the sun is very bright, and the color is clearly visible, and 2) they each have a black car on either side, and the color difference is quite obvious. one of the two was immediately sold to a dealer by an employee, and that one ended up at a dealer in the Philadelphia area. the third one should be easily known by MSU Spartan fans. I know as much about sports as Donald Trump knows about humility, so I'm not aware of team colors. this particular car was green with a white top, and a white interior with saddle trim. the head restraint covers were sent out to Oldsmobile, and they came back with a "Sparty" mascot logo embroidered on each one. this car was used in numerous MSU parades, and used at MSU events. Tony said there have to be hundreds of photos and videos of this car. the fourth one was one of the last cars off the line, and preceeded the "final" red ones. this car went into the Oldsmobile museum for a while, and then went down the street to the "barn" (any Lansing residents on the forum?), before heading to one of the private GM collections in Sterling Heights. I know this car is in Sterling Heights, because about seven years ago the company that maintains the collection for GM called us about a tonneau cover that someone had damaged. when I asked what color it was, they said it was green. Tony also said there were 2 or 3 1991 Select Sixtys built; these were not for dealers, but for GM executives who wanted them. for some reason, he didn't want to tell me about who got them, but they were very high executives. they were apparently non sequential serial numbers, and technically don't exist. Tony always roars with laughter when I tell him about all of the doubts from other folks about off-standard Reattas. I can remember not many years ago when I was vilified by one of our "experts" for the mere suggestion that any convertibles were produced with cloth tops. of course, this vilification came after another meeting with Tony, when he told me they built hundreds of cloth top convertibles. I'll put my money on the guy who was there in the Craft Centre, and watched it all happen. so Spartan fans, go thru those archives and find some photos of that green Spartan convertible that "never existed". let me know when the crow dinner will be served; I'd love to watch. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Jim, I am indeed "the guy" who sells IPCs for $350. why is EVERYTHING "too high" to you? we sell 15-20 1990-1991 IPCs per month, every single month. we don't expect our customers to need to endure old used junk, and take every single IPC we receive, whether working or not, and send them to a Delco-authorized remanufacturer. we don't waste time doing a Mickey Mouse "patch-job" replacing only what's wrong; that's a total waste of time on an electronic part, that as Kevin says, has endured 20+ years of use, heat, cold, humidity, dryness, and endless bumps. our remanufacturer rips all of the guts out, and in go brand new circuit boards, cold solder joints, and anything else that could fail. we also provide a two year unconditional warranty with our Delco remanufactured units, just like every single other electrical item we sell. do you think GM dealers and quality repair shops are interested in buying used, unwarranted parts? no, they're not, and none of our customers are, either. in the ten years we've been selling Reatta parts, we've never had a single one come back under warranty. what's even more telling is we've never had one come back even after the warranty expired. I just received the invoice for the last batch of IPCs that were rebuilt. our rebuild cost per unit? $331.42 we sell them for $350; the same price they've been since 2001. we are now making a whopping $18.58 per unit. since that $350 is "too high", please suggest how much we should lose per unit to make them not "too high". not everyone is looking for $2 parts for their $10 car. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Edwin, it's quite interesting that "this car would not be acceptable to any member of the forum", yet you keep calling her back. why would you want such an "awful" car? who would ever want one of only 1,200 1991 Reatta coupes produced, especially a black one? who would want a corrosion free, one owner, celebrity owned 1991 Reatta with all documentation from day one? who would want a 1991 Reatta that just had major engine work done, with perfectly working air conditioning, cassette player, CD player, and sunroof? I know the CD and cassette work, because I had them repaired. could you go back out and take some photos of the "awful" interior? I'd like to see how soiled the carpeting has become in the past year "that it can't be cleaned". there is no such thing as carpeting that can't be cleaned. in case you didn't know, Marian is very much a night person, and her car rarely was out in the sun; hence the interior is not really faded at all, nor does the leather need replacement. I owned a detail business for many years, and have never seen paint with "swirls and deep scratches" (as long as they aren't thru the paint) that couldn't be removed with either color-sanding or buffing. in reality, the only thing wrong is the scrape on the door, and that's an easy fix. over the years, I've either been in front or right behind you, before or after you looked at a car, including my own 1990 silver convertible I bought in West Los Angeles in 2009. in every single case (and I do mean EVERY), there was "always something wrong with the car" to you. if the car was ten bucks, it wasn't worth it. methinks that seeing this post about this car here on the forum could be a nightmare for you, as you prefer to ruthlessly trash a perfectly fine car. this then eliminates any competition from another buyer, and allows you to grind the seller relentlessly without competition, and if successful, that "unacceptable" car is then "acceptable". :) I've looked at thousands of Reattas over the years, and would give this car a 7 out of ten with a very jaundiced eye. let me know where another 1991, one owner, corrosion free, all-systems-operating, drive it anywhere car could be found for $3,500. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

I was the caretaker of this car from 2003 to 2010, and can assure you that Marian Neuman (screen name Marian Collier) is indeed a star. my first experience with Marian was comical. I was in California for a week seeing customers, and planned on being at her house early Sunday morning. I called her on Saturday, letting her know I'd be there about 8AM. there was a pause on the phone, and she said, "could you make that 11, and do be a dear and bring the Hollywood Reporter and Variety from the curb to the door when you arrive?" she has an extremely long career, and starred with Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like It Hot". she starred in every Lethal Weapon film, and sold Mel Gibson her 1957 Thunderbird which she bought new. after her husband Jack died in 1998, she asked Mel if she could buy it back. he said yes, but the price was five times what she sold the car to him for. I won't print her response to him here, but suffice to say it wasn't of the cordial or polite nature. her house in the Hollywood Hills is unbelievable. from the pool, you can see all the way to Catalina, and the inside looks like the history of Hollywood. she has a book in her living room that measures about 2'X4' that is filled with full color outtakes from "Some Like It Hot" that only cast members received. I can't even fathom what the value of this would be. the walls are filled with photographs and memorabilia. as Steve mentioned, she has a hand written condolence note from then-President Bill Clinton she received after her husband died. when Steve asked about it, she said rather dismissively, "oh, everyone gets those". this is perhaps the only home in the world where you could sit in the bathroom and stare at a framed copy of TV Guide on the opposite wall with the home's owner on the cover. about the only incorrect item I could see in the ad's text was with regard to the car being a "special order". it was not a special order, but a stock unit her husband purchased in May of 1991 from David J. Phillips Buick/GMC/Mazda in Laguna Hills, California. the car is priced in the "stupid cheap" category, and is worth many times the asking price. if anyone has any questions about the car, please contact me. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

eBay is mooch central. I always tell my customers that this is a great place to sell your car if you're interested in getting less than half of it's true value. prices on eBay are not indicative of anything; otherwise, these values would be reflected in collector car price guides, or used by insurance companies for valuation purposes. in either case, they are not. ignoring my own advice, I actually sold 1990 Reatta coupe on eBay the week between Christmas and New Year's, 2009. it was a 24,000 coupe we purchased from an estate in California. I had a "buy it now" of $9,950, and the car didn't even make it halfway thru the listing time when it sold. I had four backup offers all the way to $13,000. I think a big mistake many make when selling a car is very poor marketing. it blows me away to see a $20,000 car with a twenty word description, or poor (or no) photos. the text of the ad for the Reatta coupe I sold was twenty PARAGRAPHS in comparison. if you don't live in a "photogenic" area, take the car to one. folks are looking at the car, so crop the photos to eliminate background distractions. with that being said, the only place to properly market a nice (and I do mean nice) Reatta is in Hemmings Motor News; nowhere else. I've suggested Hemmings to many of my customers over the years, and every one has sold their car there. it might not happen overnight, but that call WILL come. I always tell my customers that when that call comes: there will be only one question the caller asks: "where do I send the money?" I've had many doubt this happens, but in every case, it does, and that's the question that does get asked. the one thing that Hemmings buyer does expect for top dollar is a perfect car. I always tell my customers if when you walk around the car, and the words, "but remember, it's a 1990", come out of your mouth, then you didn't do a good enough job. many Reattas also sell privately. we've consigned numerous Reattas, and sold every one. I'm not going to waste a customer's time (as well as insult them) and tell them their pristine Reatta convertible is worth $12,000, or $15,000, like many of our resident Reatta "experts" do. I've sold seven convertibles in the past year. most have been 1990's with miles in the 50K-75K range. the cheapest one sold for $20,000. I just sold a silver, one owner 1990 convertible with 75,000 miles yesterday to a customer in Escondido, California, for $21,000. she said it was worth every cent. food for thought: if you think your car is worth nothing, you're exactly right. you're also right if you think a nice car is worth good money. it's totally your call. selling a collector car is no different than marketing a property. either you spend the money to make it perfect (and get the big bucks), or be cheap and get less than half, or not sell it at all. would you buy a car with inoperative air conditioning? if you did, would you believe the seller that "it just needs a charge", or would you anticipate it needs a lot more, like a compressor or evaporator? would you just walk away? a good example is a convertible top. a Haartz cloth top is roughly $900 and installation is about $350. the perceived value to a buyer for that top? $3,000-$3,500. do you suppose that prospective buyer will find too many other Reatta convertibles with new Haartz cloth tops? no, they won't. that new top just sold your car for the full asking price. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Jon, for some of us, high school ended a long time ago, along with it's juvenile schoolyard taunts. perhaps you can elaborate about "S----------K". shall we sit in suspense, or should we somehow question the fact that you're making accusations without having the nerve to just come out and be honest? -what has this person done to incur the moderator's wrath? -have you even read what qualifies for deletion by the moderator? -should the rules be specially modified for posters you don't personally like? -are none us of here allowed to question our "resident experts"? -did our "resident experts" work at the Reatta Craft Centre, or is much of the information they have provided mere speculation? -is their speculation somehow better than anyone else's? -do you feel any questioning of the validity or accuracy of the "database" is wrong? -do you see the remotest of possibilities that second, third, or fourth hand information with regard to a correct VIN number (with the possibility seventeen different mistakes could be made) could somehow taint the accuracy of the "database"? -if you were in an accident or your car was stolen, will the police "take your word" about the VIN number, or will they personally check it themselves? -have you ever worked for an automobile manufacturer on any level? -are you familiar with how the Reatta Craft Centre worked, and how it's flexible production system intentionally allowed for specially built vehicles? -have you ever owned or seen one of these "off standard" Reattas that you seemingly question the mere existence of? -do you have any concrete basis to support your questioning of what someone else is suggesting, or is it merely the fact you don't personally care for someone? -how many of the folks who worked at the Craft Centre, from plant and program managers, chief engineer, and all the way to the folks that worked at the actual assembly stations, do you personally know? -how much information, either verbal or printed, have they personally shared with you? -how many Reattas have you personally seen? -how many Reattas have you taken apart to the point the balance of the car would fit into a few boxes? as of today, I've had over 600 Reattas that are either here in our warehouse, or have been here in the last nine years and have now gone off to Reatta heaven when they were depleted. I'd like to think I've gleaned just a little experience and knowledge from all of those cars that have been here. for many who know me well, I'm always glad to share all the information and experience I've learned on how to take things apart, as well as troubleshooting tips. of course, I'm small change compared to all of the wonderful people who share their own experiences with their own Reattas. perhaps this is what makes this the most visited site (by far) of all the AACA forums. I've been a forum member for almost nine years, although I don't make it a habit to post for the sake of posting. I'll leave the posting of one liner zingers (complete with smiley faces), and the breathless posting of Chili's $50 gift cards and a sale on cheap Chinese-produced tools at Harbor Freight to others. there have been many "written in stone" 'facts' that were believed by our "resident experts" that have proven to not be true. ...and that IS a fact, whether you like it or not. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Barney, after spending my entire adult life in the car business (including ten years as a new car dealer), I can't even imagine how many "special editions" I've been "awarded". to a dealer, it's just another unit; you can't imagine the "excitement" most dealers felt when another Reatta, more expensive than any other, got dropped off the transport truck. if you talk to any Buick dealer that was selling cars at the time the Reatta was out, they will tell you (with the exception of 1988 models) that the Reatta was an albatross to sell. if they wanted an extra allocation of twenty LeSabres, they had to take a Reatta or two to get those LeSabres. you seem to be confused about the ultimate owner of the Select Sixty; it wasn't the dealer, but the retail customer. this is why the letter (along with the engraved Owner's Portfolio plaque, Certificate of Authenticity, and Select Sixty ornament) were sent to the retail buyer, NOT the dealer. did some dealers keep the cars for themselves? absolutely. but they were in the minority. it seems a little odd that you can't imagine why the emblems weren't affixed on the 1990 Select Sixtys. why is it just a stretch to believe this when they did exactly the same thing in 1988? nothing cements a relationship with a customer like when they receive something special in the mail. I bought a new 1993 Cadillac Allante in June of 1992. the first production cars built were Indianapolis 500 pace car replicas, all finished in Pearl red with a black cloth top, and neutral leather. a few weeks after I purchased the car, a box arrived with Indianapolis 500 pace car decals. why weren't they put on the car before delivery? could it be they were giving me the choice, beside the fact that it amounted to a little after-sale "swag"? ditto in 1996. I bought a new Dodge Ram 1500 Indy pickup, the pace vehicle that year, several weeks later, the pace vehicle stripes arrived. I've seen 14 Select Sixtys myself, all with original window stickers. not a single one has a dealer listed in the "sold to" box on the window sticker, and for a reason. they were all built at the same time (even though they don't have sequential serial numbers) specifically for the spring selling season in 1990. in northern climates, the spring selling season is a narrow one. the cars should be on the ground in April, and gone by June. any convertible still on the lot in August will most likely be having a birthday at the dealership the next spring. the Craft Centre built the cars, and then regional zone representatives determined who should receive them. excellent CSI scores are always tilted towards small dealers in small towns, and not too many dealers in small farm towns would get excited about the prospect of a $37,000+ convertible in their teeny showroom to gather dust, as well as burdening their floor plan financing when floor plan interest was running at 15%. $37,000 was a lot of money then, and they could have two quick-selling pickups with that same $37,000. many small town dealers traded their Select Sixtys away to larger dealers just to get rid of them. the only clue to who the original dealer was that received the car is to look at the small print on the bottom of the window sticker where it says "deliver to dealer at". the one issue here is if it is a large city like Minneapolis or Houston, where there were multiple Buick franchises. let's look at some of the past "differences of opinion" that we've had in the past nine years: -you thought the 1990-1991 Owner's Portfolio Craftsman's logs were "autosigned". how did that turn out? -how many times, right here on this forum, did you disagree with me on the fact that Reatta convertibles did indeed come with cloth tops, right out of the Craft Centre? your belief that none were produced was based on the fact that "you had never seen one". it looks like we're heading down exactly the same road with the subject of the 1990 Select Sixty emblems. there are a lot of things I haven't seen, yet I never doubt their existence. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

I have several Reatta convertibles on consignment right now, including a one owner, one driver, low mileage Select Sixty with every single piece of documentation since the day it was purchased. included in the documentation is a box dated 5/1990. in the box are the following four items: 1) engraved plaque to be affixed to the front of the Owner's Portfolio. 2) Select Sixty Certificate of Authenticity in it's own padded portfolio. 3) Select Sixty hood emblem in it's own engraved box. 4) a personally signed letter from then Buick General manager Ed Mertz, thanking them for the purchase of their Reatta. the letter also instructs them to make an appointment with their dealer to have the Select Sixty emblem installed on their car at no charge if they so desire. I did not have a new Reatta myself at this time, but can remember Cadillac sending out a gold medallion with the number of Cadillacs I had owned with very similar instructions to take the medallion to my Cadillac dealer to have it installed in the grille at no charge. I had purchased several Buicks back in the 1990s from Childress Buick, a longtime Buick dealer here in Phoenix. they are now out of business. during innumerable visits to the dealer for oil changes or other services, I would sit in the customer lounge waiting for my car to be serviced. in one of the glass cases in the customer lounge, there was a Certificate of Authenticity for Mr. Childress's own Select Sixty, as well as the Select Sixty hood ornament in the opened box. I can remember asking Reatta engineer Tony Alberto many years ago about Select Sixtys. it was a stretch of my imagination to even think of GM being able to order 65 of anything. Tony laughed, and said, "do you really think that GM could order 65 of anything?" "the real number is GM ordered 500 of everything." that's 500 sets of white wheels, 500 sets of white seats, white door panels, and 500 of anything that was exclusive to the Select Sixty. as Barney has pointed out before, GM showed inventory of hundreds of white door panels many years after Reatta production ended, verifying that indeed there were many more parts made than cars to install them on. the Select Sixty hood ornament was a "parts shelf" item, and as everyone knows, was originally designed for the not-so-special 1988 Reatta. since they had hundreds of ornaments left over, it made sense to have it available for the 1990 Select Sixty as well, since it was a bonafide special edition. since it's been over 20 years now, I'm sure a lot of the Select Sixty hood ornaments original owners received have since been long misplaced, forgotten, or thrown away. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

before I get started, let me state that this will be absolutely the final comment from me on this good but suddenly turned personal subject. I've been in sales since I was 18, with almost all of that sales experience involved with cars in some way or another. I've worked for myself since 1979. I started with a mobile auto detail business, the very first in Southern California. lots of brick-and-mortar detail shops told me they were "going to put me out of business". when I sold the business in 1983, I had over 3,000 customers I had acquired myself, one at a time. I then owned a new car dealership for ten years, also in Southern California. when I took over, they were selling 12 cars a month, both new and used. when I sold the franchise back to the manufacturer in 1993 (the city was taking the property for urban renewal, and due to manufacturer rules on distance to the next dealer, we couldn't move) we were selling 120 new cars a month, and 50 used cars. each new customer was earned one at a time. a livery (car service) business followed here in Arizona. like everything else I do, this was different. almost all other livery companies use black Lincoln Town Cars; we used white diamond Cadillac deVilles. if you've ever used a car service before, you're aware that most drivers are on the sloppy-looking side. not with us. all of our drivers wore tuxedos (both male and female), and were as immaculately attired as our cars were spotless. anyone getting a ride in one of our cars in the morning was treated to Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Starbuck's coffee in a china cup at no additional charge. of course, many competitors laughed at our cars and perfectly attired drivers, and predicted our "early demise". a standing joke in the livery business is every new company starts with customers stolen from the company you used to work for. my business partner and I were adamant that we would never do this, and earned our customers one at a time, from cold calls we made all over the state during the slow summer season. we starved to death that first summer, but our efforts paid off when fall came. where drivers at other companies were busy chasing $50 rides, our drivers were booked on $1,000+ trips that took them all over the state and beyond. there are many people out there (especially Europeans) who are used to booking a car and driver for a week or more. we thrived. we sold our company in 2001 to an international livery company. that brings me to buickreattaparts.com. the first day of business (March 11, 2001) I had six customers by the end of the day. by the way, I still have five of those six customers; the sixth wrecked his car. as I write this, I just took an order from a new customer, #5602. over 4,000 of those customer numbers are still active, with many of the balance changing to names of new owners when cars were sold. again, a business built over time, one customer at a time. and finally to the subject at hand, convertible tops. if anyone would like to be the "Reatta convertible top king", I say please have at it. after selling hundreds of tops, I've seen many things. are there sometimes delays? you bet. I'm never a person who will give the standard "black/white/tan" answer, instead encouraging you to consider over 80 other choices. sometimes some of those other choices might be on back order (the white cloth has been especially troublesome), but most folks don't mind waiting for their one-of-a-kind top. I base my top experience on my own experience over the past ten years, not on what a distributor has told me in a best-case scenario. I believe in constantly pushing the envelope. we now have color-keyed headliners, which are NOT offered by our top supplier. they eliminate the "cave" look inside. Reattas were originally supposed to come with color-keyed headliners, but were eliminated as a cost-cutting measure. GM lost over $3,000 on every Reatta convertible it sold. I'm also not going to get in a pissing match over price. I have a very anal-retentive accountant, and I pay Arizona sales tax on every top I sell, at a rate of 9.3%. states do not look fondly on someone buying something at wholesale and selling to a retail buyer without anyone paying any tax, whether sold over the internet or not....and they are watching. what's perhaps the most humorous is the argument here involves selling a $650-$900 item pretty much at cost, with no profit whatsoever. anyone out there going to work and not getting paid? rule #1 in a quality sale is to have no need to speak badly of your competition, instead only offering reasons why someone should buy from you. I live by that rule every day, always taking the high road. the old saying about "it doesn't matter what they say about you, as long as they are talking about you" certainly holds true. since this thread began over three weeks ago, we've sold 27 tops. to those 27 customers, both old and new, I say thank you. subject closed. over and out. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Ronnie, have you purchased an Electron top? what is your own personal experience with them? over 50 of the tops we've sold have been to replace Electron tops that were less than a year old. many of those people paid over $2,000 (some over $3,000) with installation, and still weren't happy with their tops. they fit poorly, and had wind and water leak issues. I also relayed my experience with them, which was long before the quality issues also showed up on other customer's cars. as you noticed, I hadn't mentioned a word about anyone else's experience, just my own. I would like to think we gave Electron more than one chance to show the quality of their product to us. we first ordered two tops (which at the time was still over $2,000), and had them installed. they fit poorly, and we then gave them another chance by reordering two more, again, one cloth, and one vinyl. when the next two didn't fit, we came to one of two conclusions: 1) they had a bad pattern, or 2) they had poor workmanship. either way, they were not tops we wanted to sell. we threw the two Electron replacement tops in the trash, and went with the second company. I have absolutely no idea why you would take any comments I made personally, as not single one was directed at you. people are welcome to buy anything they like. if they want to spend $600 more for an Electron top, then they should do that. if they don't want to buy one from me, I can assure you I'll sleep tonight. by the way, we've had over $130 in price increases since 2002, and have never raised our prices one penny. just got the invoices for the last ones ordered this week, and we're now making a whopping $16.92 profit on each top we sell now. perhaps it's time for me to start socking away that princely sum for my vacation home. when we started to sell tops over nine years ago, I approached it with a totally open mind. I had no idea there would be any difference between manufacturers, but there was. I have no regrets that we made the choice in manufacturer that we did, and neither do any of the nearly 350 customers who also made that choice. they count on us to provide the best, and we do. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

ah, the joys of the internet. information at the touch of a button, even if it's bad. when we started selling tops almost ten years ago, we ordered two tops (one cloth, one vinyl) from the only two manufacturers that make tops for Reattas. we had them installed on two of our own convertibles. Electron was one of the companies. the quality of their tops was so bad we returned both for replacement. the replacement tops were just as bad. puckers everywhere, and the rear windows were off by over an inch on one side. of course, they were also cut too short, with side window gaskets fully exposed. the rear area where the top touches the deck looked like "flood pants", just like the original shrunken top, sitting almost three inches over the deck. let's examine that $1011 price. that buys you a VINYL top. in one of three colors. if you live in one of 17 states, you'll be paying sales tax (New York law). that's $89.72 shipping (UPS ground) will be in the $25-$60 range depending on location. to recap: vinyl convertible top/heated glass window, only three colors: $1140.72. cloth, an additional $350. some colors even more. total: $1521.78. ******************************************************* now let's move on to our tops. to date, we've sold 328. not one workmanship issue, ever. we DON'T charge sales tax. shipping IS included. anywhere in the USA and Canada. VINYL, with heated glass window: $689, TOTAL. choose from 40 colors. CLOTH, with heated glass window: $889, TOTAL. choose from 38 colors. we also offer COLOR-KEYED custom headliners, just in case you're tired of riding around in a cave. that's it. three changes from standard tops, exclusive ONLY to us: -tops cut one inch longer over the side windows; completely covers window gaskets. water leaks and wind noise issues disappear. -two rows of matching stitching sewn around the perimeter of the rear window, completely eliminating window delamination. -top cut two inches longer in the back, eliminating the "flood pants" look. our prices have never changed in over eight years. costs have increased, our prices haven't yet. always look at the bottom line, not vague promises. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

I wouldn't let anyone but MAACO paint any car. they've painted over 20 cars for me in the past few years and do a superb job. with that being said, here are VERY IMPORTANT things to remember: -if you're going for the $249 "mooch special", don't expect miracles. -if you have damage (door dings, dents, rust, clearcoat issues) and don't want to pay to have it repaired, don't blame the shop. if you do the body work yourself and the paint comes out badly, don't blame the shop. -if you're too cheap to spend the extra $150 to have the paint color-sanded after it is painted, don't blame the shop. after a car is painted, the job is only half-done. color-sanding is what takes a "lousy" paint job, and makes it spectacular. all of the flaws like orange peel are removed, and the finish is PROFESSIONALLY buffed at least five times with finer and finer polishes. if you make the decision to skip paying the one hundred fifty bucks for the professional color sanding, and "you're going to do it yourself", prepare for disaster. color sanding is not achieved using a $30 buffer with a tie-on pad, and two different compounds you bought at PepBoys or Autozone. many of the compounds necessary for an excellent job are over $75 a bottle...and remember, you'll be using at least five different products. using the wrong sandpaper, or doing it incorrectly will also result in disaster. I've had fifteen customers' Reattas painted at MAACO, with the average cost for JUST THE PAINT job (this does NOT include body work, prep work, or color sanding) at $893. this is for their premium paint package, which includes Sherwin Williams paint, and two coats of clear. one of the cars they did we then sold at Barrett-Jackson a few weeks later back in 2003 (it was the red convertible). when you're ready, head for a few different MAACOs in your area. look at the cars that were just painted. be sure to ask which received the premium paint service and have been color-sanded. you'll be quite impressed. paint is paint (as long as it's not cheap synthetic enamel). you'll be shocked at how many late model cars are in there. they also do a ton of insurance work. if their work was lousy, they wouldn't have insurance jobs. when you're ready, give the shop a little help. take off all of the moldings (and the clips); if they're color keyed, take off the stainless trim and emblems, and let the moldings get painted separately when they do the car. take off the rear Reatta emblem, and remove the back-up lights and license lamps. when you get there, take the tail lamp assembly out. remove (CAREFULLY) the hood badge. remove the headlight bezels, and mask off the headlights. tape off the VIN numbers on the fenders with BLUE masking tape. do the same for the stickers inside the door jamb. remove the trunk seal. "wraps" are not cheap. when we inquired about having our trucks wrapped last year, the cost was around $3,000 apiece. the wrap only lasts about three years before it needs to be removed. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Marck, the formula is quite simple; you need to spend money to make money. if you don't, you might as well skip the whole thing. how often will a car like this become available? not very often. so you need to maximize the opportunity. I would put a MINIMUM valuation on this car in perfect shape of $15,000. skip doing a few things like a new gray cloth top and tires, and it turns into a $6,000 car if you're lucky. although there are many suggestions and ideas on how to reattach a delaminated rear window, in reality all are "Mickey Mouse" fixes that look exactly like one. if the gaskets are visible above the side windows when the top is up, it needs to be replaced. period. the perceived value of a new cloth top is in the $3,000 range to a buyer. replacement of the cheap looking vinyl top with a gray Haartz cloth top not only adds value, but makes the whole appearance of the car "pop". if they're looking at other Reatta convertibles, they won't find one like this. this is the playing field you always want to operate in; no comparable competition. go thru the car with a fine tooth comb, looking for the smallest flaws, because a buyer will be doing the same thing. anything that needs repair or replacement will have it's cost doubled by a savvy buyer; with anything air conditioning related, it's aniticipated cost times FIVE. enough flaws, and no one wants the car at all. here is my formula to sell a convertible for top dollar, and I have over 50 Reatta convertibles I've been involved in the sale of to back it up: -EVERYTHING works. everything. no excuses. -very nice to perfect leather, door panels, unfaded carpeting, spotless mats. everthing is spotlessly clean; take the seats out and clean underneath. if the steering wheel is worn, have it professionally recovered. both horn buttons in place. working radio/cassette, and CD player if so equipped. replace bad speakers. remove seat belts, and clean until spotless. -outside. any small chips touched up, and any dings professionally removed. if stripes are faded or gone, have a professional striper repaint them (no tape). thoroughly clean trunk (take out spare tire and fill with 60PSI; it will be empty), and shampoo mat if necessary. if you don't have a professional buffer (no Pep Boys buffers with tie-on pads) send the car to a good detail shop and have the paint professionally buffed to remove the smallest imperfections. -clean everything under the hood. new crank assemblies/bushings for both headlights, even if they work. be sure every bulb is working, inside and out. remove grille, and clean with #0000 steel wool. change oil. have transmission fluid, brake fluid, and coolant flushed. -perfect glass all around. both windows operate flawlessly all the way up and down. power door locks work on the first press. two sets of factory keys. two working remotes. perfect, clear tail lamp. if it needs tires, buy a whole set of mid-priced, name-brand tires. be sure inflation is at 30PSI, no more. this is what is recommended on the door sticker, and inflating tires further can really create ride and cowl-shake issues on convertibles. if it needs an alignment, get one. does it need struts? replace them. you'll know when you're done. when you can look at the car and not see one flaw, it's ready to go. now is the time to really not scrimp; it's time to advertise the car. skip anything that's free, like Craig's List, or even eBay. these are the haunts of mooches who will only waste your time, and have no money. you'll find the buyer you're looking for only in Hemmings Motor News. it's showtime! write a nice advertisement, 10-12 line minumum. paint a picture of the car to the buyer. I've sold over 20 different cars in Hemmings; I've had well over 100 customers sell their Reattas there, too. don't expect to sell it today, it will take a few months. I've had many customers call me after a month, and say, "I've had no response". I always have the same answer: when that call comes, the only question they will ask is, "where do I send the money?" those of you who've heard me say this to you are probably laughing right now. why? because EVERY single one got a call just like this. and every single one sold their car to that first buyer. it's a very simple formula. spend the money, get all the money. spend a little and be cheap, and leave at least $10,000 on the table for an additional $2,000 investment. the choice is yours. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

I'd give it a 99.9% chance that the "bargain example" that Barney gave is indeed the same car with the "horrible underbody rust" that was trashed last year by our forum "armchair experts". some of our "forum experts" even called it a Select 60 clone. based on what? did a single person that trashed this car bother to even go look at it? of course not. the case was tried before an internet forum judge and jury based on bad photographs. interesting how it can go from "horrible" to a "gold winner at Ames" with most likely not a single thing done to the "horrible underbody rust". either the underbody rust wasn't that bad, or that rusty undercarriage was overlooked by the judges. it's interesting that our technical director CONSTANTLY underestimates the values of the very cars he alleges to represent. it's also interesting that not a single collector valuation publication backs him up on this. the fact that an uniformed seller puts a car up for sale on the worst place to sell a car (eBay) does not suddenly indicate that this is the "correct" valuation that all cars should now be judged on. for those not familiar, insurance adjusters do not tend to be liberal when it comes to vehicle valuations. how many insurance companies use eBay auction results for valuations? not a single one. the "rub-our-hands-together-'cuz-cheap-is-always-a-deal" mooch mentality never exists for true collectors. they have done more than one restoration before, and know that cheap is almost never a bargain. cars that need work become instant money pits, and that initial cheap price disappears quickly when all the work it needs soon exceeds the cost of an "original" example...and a car is only original once. another thing that is quickly forgotten is a whole level of collectors out there (and they ARE the majority) won't even look at a car if it's priced too cheaply. they automatically assume it needs work, and they won't even make the call. in the last year, we've been involved in the sale of five 1990 convertibles. the miles were between 60K and 90K. low end on the price: $19,500; high end, $23,000. we went against our own advice last year, and sold a car on eBay. it was listed the week between Christmas and New Years (or as I like to say, "the worst place to sell a car, and the worst week of the year"). it was a 1990 coupe with 24,000 miles. the "buy it now" price? $9,950. it sold before the auction ended. we had four backup offers, all the way to $13,000. who bought the car? a gentleman for Eugene, Oregon, and an officer in the local BCA chapter. he wanted only the best. he flew in, and drove it home. I've talked to him three times since, and he couldn't be happier with his purchase. a cheap car does not a bargain make. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

any donated 1991 Reattas are now available to anyone who finds them without any repercussions from GM for two reasons: 1) the statute of limitations for liability in most states is eleven years. 2) more importantly, when GM did their bankruptcy last year, all old liabilities were lumped into the "bad GM" (Motors Holding Corp.). when their bankruptcy was approved and discharged, all those old liabilities disappeared. GM is no longer responsible (or liable) for any of those cars. a corportate bankruptcy is no different than a personal one in that respect; listed liabilities are discharged. any interesting sidebar to the donated 1991 Reatta saga: I was told numerous times by many GM "experts" that all donated cars were "disabled" so they could no longer run under any circumstances. I've talked with ten people who either own these donated cars, or have access to them. all of the car run perfectly. many of the cars had the airbag either cut, or removed altogether. the fact that they originally had Michigan scrap titles is also now irrevelant, as that eleven year rule erases any record of them. we have the first Reatta prototype convertible (a 1988 model) here in our warehouse. when we first purchased it back in 2003, there were Michigan DMV records that showed it as a scrapped unit. just checked it thru the DMV last week, and no record exists any longer. sometimes a few states hold onto records a little longer than eleven years. another fact is that states don't talk to each other about titles. for example, if you would bring a Florida title to California and register the car there, Florida has no clue you've done that. if you buy one of these cars without a title, it's no big deal to get one. most states offer either an abandoned or lien sale title. someone from your state's local DMV office comes right to your house, inspects the car, and takes down the VIN number. in less than 45 days, *POOF* a new, clean title arrives in your name. that same deal also covers lienholders. if you have a title that shows a current lienholder, after eleven years that lien automatically drops off, regardless of what the title says. when you go to apply for a new title, it will be clear. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

I would also go with a wiring problem right at the headlight plug. if the headlight isn't getting power, it won't open. I seriously doubt it's the module. in almost ten years of selling Reatta parts, we've never had a single request for one. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

if you have a 1988 Reatta, the headlight fuses are NOT on the relay center. the left and right headlight fuses are in the right side of the console. the carpeted side panel must be removed (about 10 #15 Torx screws) to access the fuses. you cannot access them thru the fuse box door, as they are located below the door. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Steve is exactly right; take any offense that you want to. the database is for entertainment value for many reasons: I'll list just a few. -first and foremost, many of the VIN numbers were gleaned from advertisements, with second, third, and fourth-hand information. how important is this? I owned a new car dealership for over ten years, and always insisted that each VIN number of each new car was checked against the MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin; this comes before a title is issued) twice; once when the car came into inventory, and when it was sold. the result? 8 to 15 cars every year where the VIN and MSO didn't match. and this was on brand-new cars, not a used one that went thru five or more possible owners. if this is not caught at the beginning, it turns into a real mess. the car would get registered with the wrong VIN, which would then go (incorrectly) onto the title. if you would get stopped by the police and they would check the VIN, it wouldn't match the registration. the bank would also have an invalid title if there was a lien on the car, and it would be impossible to have the car inspected or emission tested for the same reason. -we attempted to provide Barney with VINs and information about every car we received into inventory. this only lasted for barely a year, ending in 2003. why? he argued with us about much of the information we provided, as it "disagreed" with what "information" he already had on the car. to make this more clear: we are staring at the car in front of us, with title in hand, and being told "we're wrong". how would you feel if this happened to you? things really reached a head when we bought a worn-out 1988 Reatta in California. I've told this far too many times, so I'll keep this brief. it had a build date on the door of 1/87 (and it was correct; it was a pilot car), and we were called "liars". that was the end of any cooperation on our parts with this. -what happens is once the wrong information is entered into the database, it becomes "the truth". I firmly believe this is absolutely the case with "the complete list of 1991 Reattas". fill in all of the spaces, and complete everything; accuracy is secondary. much of the 1991 color information is totally non-existent; colors were assumed not by what was listed, but by what wasn't. this is just not how things are done accurately. -1990 and 1991 VIN tags on the dash changed to a bar code-type plate to be read by scanners to increase accuracy. one big problem: the zeros in the VIN have a squiggly line thru the zero, and could easily be mistaken for the numeral eight by someone not checking carefully. another possibility for a mistake. there are seventeen digits in any VIN number from 1981 on; this allows 17 mistakes to be made every time. much of the issue with petty disagreements on this topic (and it's been discussed far to many times) is the simple fact that many defend blindly, without the slightest concern for the real facts. ask yourself this simple question: if you were buying a car, would you buy one that you couldn't personally inspect the VIN number on? how would you feel if you looked at a Reatta to buy and checked the database, and all of the information was wrong? Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

these cars were considered liabilities for two reasons: 1) safety issues. 2) if they were put back on the road, they would need to covered by any recall issues now and in the future. they were also written off, and applied to GM corporate taxes as write-offs way back in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991, depending on what year the cars were. any liabilities were thrown into the "bad GM" (Motors Holding Corp.) as the bankruptcy progressed, and the "new" GM is no longer responsible for them. any of these cars would fall into this category now. we have two 1991 convertibles here that we either purchased from trade schools, or from people who purchased them from trade schools. both cars have less than 500 miles, and are in excellent original condition. we also have clear Arizona titles for both. the state did (obviously) a thorough title search, and no salvage (or title of any kind) was found in their history. ..and before anyone asks, we are not going to part them out. we also have the first Reatta prototype convertible here (it has a 1988 serial number), which was originally also sent to a trade school. it has never had a title of any kind, salvage or otherwise. were these cars a liability for GM before the bankrupcy, enough to send GM lawyers into a tizzy? yes. now? no tizzy, no interest. that's why we bought the two we recently purchased. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Padgett, you're exactly right. many states do have that law, however, and even if they don't, that unregistered car on a tow dolly is an "open door" to them pulling you over and asking a bunch of questions. many states feel that if wheels are on the ground turning on a public road, it must be licensed. I will never have a car on my trailer that does not have ALL proper documentation, if I am transporting a car for a customer, I require a notarized permission to transport letter from the car's registered owner before I will even load it. overkill perhaps, but I would rather have everything prepared correctly, as opposed to taking chances, and having a transported vehicle impounded for lack of proper paperwork by some cop attempting to put a notch in his arrest belt. ...and '63, if "making sure no one else got it" was such a concern to me, do you really think I would have posted all the information I have here, or would I have said absolutely nothing? if someone wants to hire a local in this area to investigate the property's owner like we did, and pay more than we did for the car, then they would certainly have every right to buy the car. I have no problem with that at all. we buy at least five cars per month under exactly the same conditions, and over the years have learned exactly what to do legally to get clear title to the car. we buy a lot of cars that were left at shops when the owners did not want to pay for the needed repairs. we (again) will not buy any cars unless all of the mechanic's lien paperwork has been filed properly with the state, and the state then provides a clear, completely transferable title. it's business. that's all. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

some random thoughts: -just because the car is abandoned, doesn't mean it's there for anyone to take. I believe it's called grand theft auto. -it is parked in the lot of an out of business trucking company, in very plain view of an interstate highway. it would take a minimum of one hour to get the car ready to go, with at least two people working. do you suppose someone just might call authorities to let them know (there are retail stores all around it) someone is taking the car? what would your response be to those authorities? -even if a tow dolly was used (which, by the way, is one of the poorest choices for transport, as technically any vehicle with wheels touching the ground during transport is by law required to have current plates, insurance and registration, and "where is the title and registration, sir?"), it would still need four complete non-mini-spare tires, as flat front tires will not roll onto a dolly. mini-spares in the front will allow the front to hang too low, and will obliterate the grille and fog lamps when it's rolled onto the dolly. by the way, you have about a 50% chance that there are wheel locks still under those hub caps, which are all in place. do you have all eighteen factory "keys" for the locks, or will you be doing the hammer-the-socket-onto-the-wheel-lock trick? how much extra time will that take? how many sockets will you split? -cars without titles are nearly impossible to get rid of when you're done with them, unless you cut the car in pieces. -I'm sure someone has (or had) a title to this car, but they obviously have no interest in the car anymore; that's why they put it there. -this is a city of 4,000 people, and I seriously doubt the city would ever tow away a car on private property. if the property owner wanted the car out of there, it would be their responsibility to do so, and that would require certain paperwork to be filed. -with that being said, we did contact the property owner today, and that paperwork will be on it's way to us within the next week. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Jim, I passed that same car about three weeks ago. I stopped to look at it in the pouring rain one morning. I took down the license plate number and VIN number, as well as the property address. I had all three run thru a LexisNexis computer database, and came up with nothing. the plate apparently does not belong on the car. I talked with the last owner, and they have not owned the car in ten years. what was even more surprising is that LexisNexis did not come up with a property owner, just the multitude of businesses thet have occupied the property over the years. it looks like the car was dumped there from a trailer. three of the tires have rolled off the rims, and the fourth is flat. it was pushed off the trailer, and the front bumper bumped into the telephone pole in front of it, stopping the car. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Reatta and Riviera windshields share nothing in common other than they are both made from glass. the Riviera windshield has rounded upper corners; the Reatta's come to points. the Riviera windshield comes with a molding kit; the Reatta's is encapsulated when it is manufactured. no molding kit is available. just because the Riviera windshield is 200 bucks doesn't mean it will fit a Reatta. the NAGS (National Auto Glass Service) number for a Reatta windshield is DW1072, and that number is exclusive to the Reatta ONLY. if there was an interchange with another vehicle, it would be reflected in the NAGS guide. it is not. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

Jim, if you were truly referring to the guy who has a brand new 1991 Reatta headlight switch available for $401 as a "ripoff artist" (and not me ) I still fail to understand even that. that 1991 light switch, part number 3525164, is in "obsolete" status right now, and has a current GM list price of $758.16. from where I'm sitting, that four hundred and one bucks looks like a real good deal for a brand new switch. Steve and I are indeed friends, just like you and Barney are. and just like you and Barney, we don't always agree on everything. we are not joined at the hip. we do agree, however, that a "rebuild" of a 1990 headlight switch is an invitation to disaster. as I posted about four months ago, we had a run of 1990 headlight switch sales in November and December of last year to replace ones that had been "rebuilt". two of the people had wiring fires which required replacement of either a long length of wire, or in one case, one of the entire looms that go into the instument cluster area and related switches. I have the same strong feeling about brake parts of any kind, with the lone exception being the electronic brake control module (EBCM) in the trunk. the brake system can quickly become an accident waiting to happen, whether it be from a unit that doesn't function properly, to a botched installation with cross threaded or corroded brake lines, or failure to bleed the brakes properly after installation of the brake unit. when an accident happens, the lawyers will go after everybody. I don't want the liability that goes with that, or the liability that goes with a headlight switch that has not been reassembled properly, for whatever reason. I would rather skip the sale altogether. I send all of my ABS customers to Prior Remanufacturing (800-444-4821), as they have a three year warranty, and plenty of liability insurance. I was aware of the private message(s) you sent Steve, and quite honestly, did not really see any reason for him to respond. it seems very uncharacteristic of you to go after him with such veracity, and I don't quite understand why. he has a lot of good points to make, and this issue of corrosion seems to be one that seems to really bother you. since Steve and I are both from salty places (Steve, upstate New York, and me, Akron, Ohio) it's not like we don't know what corroded cars look like. I must say I am in complete agreement with him in regard to what constitutes a corrosion free car. much is determined from where the car existed. in 2005, a good friend of mine in Cleveland wanted to buy a new Buick LeSabre. I went back to help him with the purchase, a beautuful sagemist metallic LeSabre Limited with a cashmere leather interior and chrome wheels. the car had seven (7) miles on the odometer. it was St. Patrick's Day. I opened the hood, and there was corrosion everywhere; the alternator, radiator, and core support. all of the suspension was rusty, too. my Buick Park Avenue with over 260,000 miles (Arizona car) still has all of the suspension parts the same finish they had when they left the Hamtramck (Poletown) plant in 1999. it's all about the location. Steve sold one of his 1991 Reattas in Hemmings last fall to a guy in Columbus, Ohio. I was headed in that direction to pick up a car, so I delivered it on my trailer for him. the guy that bought it was very excited when I delivered the car, and insisted that I open the hood right away. he said, "Mike, do you know why I bought this car? look everywhere, no corrosion". his words, not mine. Steve has carved out a very successful business selling parts on eBay, and I think that's just great. I have no ego issues whatsoever (and neither does he), and I have every confidence that there is plenty of Reatta business for everyone. I never think twice about that. he obviously is doing something right, as his eBay feedback is 100%, and is getting lots of associated sales from satisfied customers. this certainly speaks for itself, doesn't it? perhaps I'm a little more diplomatic at times, but that still isn't any reason to shoot the messenger (Steve) because you don't like (or agree with) the message. over and out. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com

just a few observations here: 1) why would anyone care how much the salvage value of a car is? there are many factors involved, and it seems every single one was ignored by those who had to put in their "two cents worth " in a very negative fashion. did the insurance company give a fair valuation (in this case, $7,000-$8,000)? did they add additonal money for any work done in the last year? by law, they must also include applicable tax and license for the amount of the settlement. I've seen salvage values go over $2,500 (if the insured wanted to buy the salvage back from the insurance company), yet NEVER felt the need to tell someone else "that's too high". 2) for those who don't know, scrap values at recyclers vary greatly by region. right now in my area, a Reatta would bring between $430 and $450 for scrap. again, I'm never in any position to instruct others in other parts of the country about values there; I only deal with those in my immediate area. 3) well, Jim, I certainly am a "ripoff artist". this is what I do for a living, and it is not a sideline to give me something to do in my retirement. I work 16 hours a day, seven days a week selling Reatta parts. I've done this every day since our first advertisement broke in Hemmings Motor News in April of 2002. I had my first six customers the first day the ad started, and today we are just shy of 5,000. if you'd like to talk about that 1990 headlight switch, I'm up for it. most things here is priced in relation to what it's final list price was from GM. the final list price for the headlight switch was $861.20, and I have no qualms selling a perfect 1990 light switch for $450, and have absolutely no problem selling every one I can get. if we have a dealer call us for a part (we have over 800 GM dealers as customers) like the headlight switch, I'm well aware that the person on the other end of the phone is looking at a computer screen with a blinking cursor with "3523605" (part number), "$861.20", and "obsolete" next to that. they are working on a perfect car, and want a perfect part with a warranty. EVERY electrical part we sell (ANYTHING) it automatically comes with a two year unconditional warranty from us. that includes instrument panel clusters, CRTs. CRT controllers, antennas, electronic brake control modules, PCMs, ECMs, and BCMs. do you provide a warranty like that? so what is a perfect headlight switch? first, there is no wear; the dimmer slides smoothly. we cycle the switch 150 times very quickly; if if fails or hangs up ONCE, it's off to the trash can, where every worn-out part belongs. if it passes this scrutiny (and few do), we send it to a company that professionally refinishes the surface. the buttons are taped off, and the backing sections are airbrushed with matte clear lacquer. then that section is covered, and the buttons are sprayed with semigloss clear lacquer. when it's done it looks absolutely like new, and comes with a better warranty than GM offered for a new one. we spend more to have the switch professionally refinished than you sell yours for. that's how a "ripoff artist" like me does it. a "ripoff artist" like me also looks at remanufacturing parts differently than anyone else. merely repairing a malfuction on a 20 year old electrical part makes as much sense as buying one shoe, or buying used tires. in any case, you'll be back soon for more, and the initial "bargain" isn't really a bargain at all. when we send a CRT, instrument panel cluster, or any electronic module in for repair, EVERYTHING inside is replaced. that includes all curcuit boards and cold solder joints, not just the problem de jour, everything. we have never replaced a single part under warranty, and have never had a remanufactured part come back even after the warranty was over. a "ripoff artist" like me also insists on making really high profits. we do this by keeping prices the same since 2002, even though some of our costs have doubled, or more. examples: convertible tops: we make $16.00 on a $900 sale. we used to make $200 in 2002, but costs have gone up, but we haven't raised prices. cost to rebuild a CRT: $318.40. we sell it for $350. instrument panel cluster: rebuilder invoice $332.10; we sell it for $350. yep, we screw 'em every single day. "ripoff artists" like me also insist on screwing customers by making "house calls" in a 500 mile radius of either where I live, or where I might be traveling to. I go to their home or office, and install any part they buy for no delivery or installation charge. I've done this for over 2,000 customers all over the USA, but hey, there will be a lot more out there is subject this to, right? oh, how they complain! "ripoff artists" like me also believe in really "stickin' it to 'em" when it comes to shipping. we use Priority Mail exclusively, and even send fuel tanks Priority Mail for a "ripoff" $50 to the east coast from Arizona. if we sent it UPS, it would take twice as long, and cost over $100; but hey, that's what "ripoff artists" like me do. my accountant informed me that I've been underestimating shipping charges to customers for the past three months to the tune of over $3,000, but (again), that's what "ripoff artists" like me do. I find it rather strange that you choose to lash out at other sellers, and then others come to your defense, even though you say negative things, like telling someone something is too expensive, like the price of a salvage. you have your buyers and I have mine. I learned that a long time ago, and professional courtesy has always stopped me from ever saying anything in a negative light about you; I provide exactly the same courtesy to Phil Hertel at Speedway Automotive. for some reason, I expected the same courtesy back. at least Phil has provided that, and we've gotten to be good friends over the years. there is a big world out there, and just because someone does something differently (or looks at business differently) doesn't make one right and one wrong; it's just a different way. it would be nice to see that professional courtesy again. over and out. Mike Rukavina buickreattaparts.com