BCA/Reatta Div

[Vincent Vega]

I am not renewing my membership. It was the first car club I ever joined. I've been a car guy forever. To be honest with you, it never did much for me. It was a bargain for sure. I get more out advice out of this forum than the BCA/Reatta Div could ever dream of. I know the officers all work hard and do what they can. I can certainly appreciate that. The lone BCA event I attended was Rochester. The cars were great. I went away feeling like an outsider. "What do you drive?" "1988 Reatta" "Hey, Karl, How's the Roadmaster? I'll be right over. Nice meeting you, umm Chris, right?." I never got to realize the benefits of membership. So, Adios BCA. Thanks for the ride. I'll be enjoying my lifetime membership in the " one Wolf" car club.

[Booreatta]

Vincent I would urge to reconsider your thoughts. I think that Reatta owners dont get the respect that the car deserves but that is slowly changing. I have been to several Nationals so far and each time I meet new people and my wife and I enjoy the company. We go for the food at and a change of places to eat that is not in our part of the company. We have met some life long friends and keep in touch thru the year. Our cars will get the respect that we/ they deserve, we just need to have fun doing that. The Reatta Rendezvous is always a good time and that is one of the reasons that we go. I in turn would be more active if I had more time. I think that the leaders of the club do a good job and we have one of the best Magazines in the country for car clubs. Have you seen the others. The Bugle alone is worth the price of membership.

Think about it

Chuck from Kansas

[Guest Reatta1]

I will echo Chuck's sentiments. If you are driving a Reatta and intend on keeping it, the Reatta division membership and comeraderie is worth an occasional brush off by the so called BCA purists. I went to my first national in Seattle last year and met a whole bunch of great people, including non Reatta owners, who were very friendly and gracious. Just a couple weeks ago I helped put together a cruise in in Bend, Oregon. A group of Portland BCA chapter members brought their cars over to the local Buick dealers lot. There were about 14 cars, four of them Reattas, and everyone had a good time despite all the rain we had. Don't let a few sour apples spoil the barrel for you.

Jim, in central Oregon

[Barney Eaton]

Guys (and girls) if you want respect, you must work for it.

I have been involved with the Reatta Division almost since it began. I see the same thing, but you must realise that the "old timers" are reluctant to get excited about anything they don't own.

My goal has always been to educate the rest of the BCA about the Reatta. Every article I have written has had a line in it about the Reatta as a future collectable. We are seeing more "old line" Buick people buying Reattas.

Withing the last two months, Bill Darrow, BCA president has purchased a silver Reatta and drove it on a recent BDE (Buick Driving Enthuest) event. He averaged 27 mpg and is quite happy with the car.

If you are folding the tent and going home now, you are leaving just as the party begins. This is not a cause that a few Reatta owners are working on..... we need EVERY Reatta owner to cooly and calmly show, explain, and love their Reatta.

Without Reatta owners talking about and showing their Reattas to the "old school" Buick people, we will never be equal partners at Buick shows.

We have come a long way. Look at the new members in the Bugle each month and you will count about 10% are Reatta owners. This gets the attention of the BCA (members).

All the Regional shows now have Reatta classes.

This year at Flint, the Reatta Division will have more activities for Reatta owners than any other (and many combined) model.

The Reatta is a infant in "car year" and it will take some time for the rest of the car world to recognise the contrubution the Reatta made to the Buick line. Right now we are in a "black hole" of time, the car is too old to be worth a lot as a used car but not old enough to be a serious collectable among the car collector world.

Reatta owners are in a unique position. We know about this car that is sure to be a great future collectable. The market price for good Reattas is quite reasonable and there is a pretty good supply. Ten years from now this will be a differnet story.

Ten years from now I may not be driving but I can tell the other old geezers at the retirement home that I owned a Reatta and they still will not be impressed because they won't know what day it is...... but in the present, I am going to enjoy my Reatta and preach the merrits of the Buick Reatta to anyone that will listen.

[NYBobP]

Amen to that, Barney. Nicely put.

[Roadster90]

Apparently Barney is a Hardlinner for sure (Could also possibley express Barney's syndrome as a "Lifer" for us Military Folks). Either way, very happy to have the man on our side

[rivgs]

As the guy who laid out the show field at Rochester, I am at a loss on how Vincent couldn't find anyone to talk to. There were about 40 Reatta's on the field and THE most enthusiastic group of guys and gals I have come across at a show. Unfortuantly I was not able to talk to everyone who brought in their cars, but those I did were to the person very happy to be there and to talk about their cars, other members should take note of the Reatta divisions enthusiasm and maybe appreciate the other Buicks on the show field for what they are and whom they belong to.

[JohnD1956]

Hope you don't mind me barging in here but I just wanted to tell Vincent that if you think it's hard to find another Reatta at a show, don't ever own a Lesabre t type. My son Doug took his 89 to the 2003 centenial and he was one of three out of 1,900 cars. And I know that he loves to bring this car because many people know nothing about it, and are surprised to see what it's made of.

Also to everyone else, please don't even be painting the rest of the established( not necessarilly older) BCA members as purists or eliteists. As a life long Buick guy I can appreciate all your Buicks and all of theirs too. That is as long as it's powered by a Buick engine. I never owned a Reatta and may never own one either but I have owned a 93 Regal and 95 Riviera ( with the same basic engine and trans, and worked on my son's Regals and other modern Buicks too. Pretty soon all that will be at faraway shows will be cars that can be driven 85 MPH with the A/C blowin, and still get 29 MPG. And I am sure I do not stand alone in these feelings.

[Vincent Vega]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rivgs</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As the guy who laid out the show field at Rochester, I am at a loss on how Vincent couldn't find anyone to talk to. There were about 40 Reatta's on the field and THE most enthusiastic group of guys and gals I have come across at a show. Unfortuantly I was not able to talk to everyone who brought in their cars, but those I did were to the person very happy to be there and to talk about their cars, other members should take note of the Reatta divisions enthusiasm and maybe appreciate the other Buicks on the show field for what they are and whom they belong to. </div></div>Where did I say I couldn't find anyone to talk to? I was there. I parked with the Reatta crowd. I had conversations with several of you. It's the "old poop" crowd that didn't seem to think much of the fact I was driving a "new" car. I thought the layout was great. The facility was excellent. I didn't have the opportunity to participate in the Reatta only events. I wish I could have. I was excited about the prospect of going to Flint this year. 4.00/gallon gas, family commitments, and waning enthusiasm have all contributed to my decision not to go. I'll reconsider rejoining at some time. In the meantime I'll continue to hang out here, gather information and help where I can.

[Vincent Vega]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Barney Eaton</div><div class="ubbcode-body">...... you must realise that the "old timers" are reluctant to get excited about anything they don't own............. </div></div>

Interesting Comment. In addition to my Reatta I have a 1961 Comet S-22. I take this car to about 8-10 shows a year. It is almost always the only '61 Comet. Making me believe there aren't too many other Comet owners out there. My Comet attracts a lot of attention. Although, not as much as the new money muscle cars do. It is usually "old timers" who comment about a family member had one, or a neighbor had one, or they learned how to drive in one. They aren't Comet owners, yet they share my enthusiasm.

[Barney Eaton]

I put a link to this topic on the main BCA forum.

If you want to see what was said there go to.........

http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/516156/gonew/1#UNREAD

[Roadster90]

Getting a great deal of mileage .

[Vincent Vega]

Barney,

Thanks for posting that in the main forum. Lots of good comments. Perhaps I'll reconsider. Like I said in my original post. I get more out of this forum than the BCA. Maybe I need to put more into my BCA membership than "being a member".

[Barney Eaton]

Please remember who pays for this forum..... The Reatta Division (roughly 380 members)

If everyone that used this forum did not belong to the Reatta Division, then we would be totally out of balance.

The forum is for Reatta owners and we hope it will encourage people to join the Reatta Division (applications at www.reatta.org )

[Ronnie]

Vincent, I too am not a member of the BCA or the Reatta Division. I have nothing against either one. Like you I feel this forum is where I feel most at home with my Reatta friends. If I thought I would get the same feeling somehow by joining the BCA and The Reatta Division I would happily join and pay the dues. The money is not the issue.

I have spent a lot of time looking at the BCA and the Reatta Division websites. They are nice sites but the feeling of being part of something is just not there for me and I always come running back here to see what is going on. I feel like I am part of the "club" when I'm here. All the meets the clubs have are too far away from me. I don't think I would enjoy driving two or three hundred miles to attend a 30 minute meeting and paying $60 a year for the privilege of doing it.

I would personally like to see the members this forum, and the Reatta Division members all join forces and work together to form a group that would not have to depend on the BCA. I'm not saying we should abandon the BCA but that we should be a more self centered group that happens to be part of the BCA. I would like to see us organize more of our own meets in more centralized locations so we could get together and not feel like the stepchildren of the BCA. I have never been to a BCA event and I have nothing at all against them but I feel it is time we started relying on ourselves instead of following them around in hopes we will be accepted.

From what knowledge I have about the leaders of the Reatta Division they are a great bunch of people and are trying very hard to keep the club organized. The thing about the Reatta Division that I see as a huge problem is a lack of unity. Members are scattered across the nation and getting together for a business meeting each year is not enough. There needs to be the same camaraderie and friendships in the club as there is on this forum to have a club that will draw and keep new members.

I propose that this forum should in some way become part of the Reatta Division instead of separated. I think the Reatta Division should focus more on what is taking place here at the grass roots level and not focus so much on what the BCA is doing. They should reach out to the forum members here and give them some reasons to join. The Reatta Division should have a replacement for this forum where we could go and be part of something like we have here. Something that would make us want to be a member...to be part of "the club". The Reatta division should be the ultimate website for things Reatta with it's own forum, announcements and a calendar of events so members would know what is going on in the club. No I don't have all the answers on how all this could be implemented. But like all other challenges we have here on the forum, as a group we could figure it out.

I apologize, I didn't mean for this to turn into a "I Have A Dream" speech but it is something I have been wanting to say for a long time. Thanks for listening.

[NYBobP]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The Reatta Division should have a replacement for this forum where we could go and be part of something like we have here. Something that would make us want to be a member...to be part of "the club". </div></div>

I, for one would hate to have a "replacement" for this forum. It's free and the benefits are tremendous. And for the few bucks it costs to join the BCA and the Reatta Division, to me its more than worth it.

[Guest Ranger]

Uh, Barney,

If I'm not mistaken neither the BCA nor the Reatta Div. pays for this forum. It is a FREE service of the AACA.

Jim Too

[Ronnie]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: NYBobP.</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The Reatta Division should have a replacement for this forum where we could go and be part of something like we have here. Something that would make us want to be a member...to be part of "the club". </div></div>

I, for one would hate to have a "replacement" for this forum. And for the few bucks it costs to join the BCA and the Reatta Division, to me its more than worth it. </div></div>

When I was talking in terms of a "replacement" for this forum I was trying to point out that I feel the proper place for a Reatta forum is on the website of the Reatta Club (the Reatta Division). I think if all the Reatta enthusiast here on this forum were using a forum on the Reatta Division's website they would be more likely to become members of the Reatta Division. They would feel like they were part of the club. This is the best forum on the Internet and has the best people. I was just suggesting bringing all the Reatta enthusiast together in order to have a good reason to join the Reatta Division.

If others want to be part of two or three separate groups with no true sense of direction and purpose that is fine with me. I'm a newcomer here and really maybe I shouldn't be so outspoken.

[Booreatta]

Vincent I have 2 coments to make, 1. I also belong to the Falcon Club and believe me the BCA is far advanced from where they are. and 2. The purest of the Reatta club are snobs to the Reatta guys who want to modify. This forum has addressed that with in the last year. My wife and I enjoy the travel to the National meets and If we dont meet any new friends this comming July it wont be a big deal.If my cars dont win a trophy who cares. I have never been to Flint and we are looking for the chance to have a good time. I had never been to Seattle but we had a great time there last year. We will also have a great time in Colo. in 2009. The people of the BCA make it fun, I dont know most of the higher ups in the club but we have fun doing what we want to do. I think that you get out of something what you are willing to put into it. I would encourgae you to rejoin and would encourage the rest of the guys to join and work to make a contribution to make changes that would benefit the all of the members. You cant win if you dont play.