1990 Red Reatta at Toyota Dealership

[Guest tomt]

Also, 45K

[Enoytsur]

Hi, this is John in Sarasota ... the Toyota dealership (Germain) where the Red Reatta was does not like Reattas because the one they had sat for 6 months and they lost their backsides on it. With that in mind I find it difficult to believe that they have another one (but they certainly could) … if fact, when I offered to trade my Silver one in they flat refused to take on another Reatta. The Silver (Gray) one someone saw might have been mine ... I have a 1990 that I am replacing with the one the Toyota dealership had. My car was at Germain a few days in a row doing legwork for potential out-of-town buyers.

I was not in the market for a car but spending so much time with the Red one as a liaison for others I came to know the car well. I bought it 1/2 hour before it went to auction for a steal. I kept it quiet for a while to give me time to detail it and correct any issues before letting anyone know I have it … including my own family). The one problem everyone knew about was the Wheel Bearing/Hub Assembly, which I replaced within a few minutes of owning the car. Despite war stories it is in outstanding condition so after putting a few bucks in it to make it excellent throughout I will let my Silver one go.

Make no mistake, with this communication I am NOT saying someone is wrong about a Gray one, clearly I am NOT ... it could very well be there. I am simply going by what I was told by Joe, the used car manager.

As I did in the past I will be available for doing legwork for anyone wanting the Gray one checked out. However, in all likelihood I will not be available to do that until at least next weekend. In the meantime I will check all the local publications to see what is listed, espeecially one for $8.999.99, and post them immediately if I learn more.

All the best, John in Sarasota

[Guest tomt]

At 86, my Mom is certainly no car expert, but she moves pretty slowly, and a salesman named Arturo caught her. His cell is 813-784-3262. She said her son was interested (not). Mom doesn't remember the year, but she did see it, and she knows my car, an 89. A mistake, however is possible. Rivera, could be. Let me know if you track it down

[Enoytsur]

Hi Tom, moms are outstanding resources with wisdom we'll never match so all is good. Mystery solved ... Arturo has a Tampa, Florida Cell Phone (I'm in Sarasota ... 60 miles south of there) but he just switched dealerships. He is now in Bradenton 16 miles north of my location.

The Red Reatta was at Germain Toyota in Sarasota ...

Arturo does have a Silver Reatta at Gettel Toyota in Bradenton, Florida.

Gettel Automotive, 6423 14th Street West(actually US 41, Tamiami Trail), Bradenton, Florida -

Dealership:(941-756-5511)

Arturo: (813) 784-3262

Kudos to mom on a great find ... and she deserves a big Valentine's Day hug from her son!

As was the case with the Red Reatta I will be glad to check the car out in person but as mentioned earlier I will be grounded for a week probably.

Tom, do you think th Silver one should be posted as a new listing.

See ya, John

[Guest tomt]

It probably wouldn't be a bad idea at all to post what you found as a new entry.

I wonder if it was in SRQ for a little bit,as Mom works at the hospital in Sarasota, and went to the Toyota dealership from there. I may talk to her a little more about it shortly.

I'm closing up my computer to leave on a business trip, so if you can start the thread, I'll add to it later on.

Incidentally, I'm visiting Mom on March 20th, so send me a private mail if you'd like to come by and show us your new toy.

Tom T

Tom T

[Enoytsur]

Hi folks, many of you followed this thread through its peaks and valleys yet it dawned on me this morning that I never closed it out properly leaving some to wonder what happened to the car. As you may recall it was slated for auction 8:00 a.m. on February 1st.

Sooooo, here is the Paul Harvey (the rest of the story). Note: a tad longwinded.

Late in the evening on the 31st of January a manager called me from the Toyota dealership to discuss a complaint I had filed regarding what I saw as mistreatment by the dealership of my out-of-two contemporaries. The call was unrelated to the Reatta, just service. During that conversation the manager mentioned the Reatta, which nearly gave the General Manager, who happened to be walking by, a heart attack. Why? He/They hated that car because of its history there (several near sales, spending money on it because they thought that had a real moneymaker, etc.). They were gladly kicking it over to auction and hoping to get $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 for it so when the GM heard the very mention of the car he went ballistic. He told the manager to ask me if I wanted to buy the car ... mind you, I was never interested in the car ... simply played a liaison role for Ronnie and others. I jokingly tossed out a ridiculous number based on auction numbers a fellow member of this forum and a now friend of mine, Chuck, had given me. I was shocked when the GM said, "get here within 30 minutes and the car is yours. It is mine.

Despite any perceptions folks may have drawn about the condition of the car I had been to see it on Ronnie's behalf several times and even prior to that therefore was convinced it was in terrific shape (the original price was $9,999.99 in the fall of 2007). I knew about the Wheel Bearing/Hub Assembly and the chipped paint on the fascia … I also assumed there were likely a few other unknowns.

Fast forward, five weeks. Here is what was actually "wrong" with the car: 1. Wheel Bearing/Hub Assembly (replaced within 1/2 hour of taking delivery), 2. insignificant rust spot under the battery (spent 4 hours cleaning/sanding the area, fiberglassing it, painting with factory paint), 3. Brakes pulled to left (cleaned, sanded, lubricated ... brakes are fine. Replaced rear calipers - loaded though not necessary … wanted them to match the new dealership-installed ones already on the front), 4. Had the fascia painted. Total cost for all of this was a few hundred dollars.

As an aside, over the weekend (March 2, 2008) I had the pleasure and honor to meet a few of the great people on this forum thanks to Jim (89REATTAJim) inviting me to a BCA Car Show here in Sarasota. Jim (White Coupe) was there, as was George and Carole Madsen (BCA – Reatta Division official) (Blue Coupe), Dick (Black Convertible), and one other gentleman (Red Coupe w/black trim).

Here is the 1990 Red Reatta now that I’ve had an opportunity to work with it for the past five weeks. It is alongside of the 1990 Silver one that it is replacing. The interior, the trunk, and the engine compartment are all on par with the exterior.

And hopefully John in the Red Reatta live happily ever after…

Thanks for all the interest and participation along the way … this thread was fun and I’ve even gained a few great new friends as a bonus! John in Sarasota

[DAVES89]

Excellant story and good for you!

[Guest craig hewitt]

so what was the final price from the dealship

[Ronnie]

I'm sure he got a good price. I doubt he will want to disclose the "final price" to the whole world. I know I wouldn't.

[89REATTAJIM]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Enoytsur</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

As an aside, over the weekend (March 2, 2008) I had the pleasure and honor to meet a few of the great people on this forum thanks to Jim (89REATTAJim) inviting me to a BCA Car Show here in Sarasota. Jim (White Coupe) was there, as was George and Carole Madsen (BCA – Reatta Division official) (Blue Coupe), Dick (Black Convertible), and one other gentleman (Red Coupe w/black trim).

Here is the 1990 Red Reatta now that I’ve had an opportunity to work with it for the past five weeks. It is alongside of the 1990 Silver one that it is replacing. The interior, the trunk, and the engine compartment are all on par with the exterior.

And hopefully John in the Red Reatta live happily ever after…

Thanks for all the interest and participation along the way … this thread was fun and I’ve even gained a few great new friends as a bonus! John in Sarasota

</div></div>

I will testify to the fact that John got a great car after all the problems with the dealership. We did have a good time at Sunday's show. I have been trying to post a few pics, but not having any luck.

[Guest tomt]

Brakes when they work, breaks when they don't