It was me

[DAVES89]

I have been a frequent visitor to this forum for about 6 years and a "lurker" prior to that [because I didn't have a Reatta]. For some time I have been disappointed with the direction this great forum has gone, mostly due to the actions of a select few.

When we had this latest run of posts, with no activity from the moderators to correct what was going on, I made a decision to go to Matthew Hinson. As you can see he came in, quickly assessed what was going on, and made "corrections". That stopped it for about a day and then we had another situation come back, so once again I asked Matthew to come back and check us out. We now have two guys on "vacation".

I truly hope this is the end of it.

This forum is not about any one person, or who knows more, it is about all of us sharing the one bond we have... The Reatta. We are all from different walks of life, different education, economic situations, and some may have a "trailer queen and some a "daily driver. So what? Where we should be promoting the car, and helping each other keep our cars roadworthy, a couple choose to tear another down.

Why don't we just try building each other up and conversing on that which brought us here? If we want strife we can just go back to our daily life. There is plenty there, we shouldn't have to come here to find more of it.

We are a chatty" bunch. The Reatta had only a 4 year run and yet we have as many "viewers" and certainly as many posts as any one other Sub Forum on the AACA Forum.

Now I realize that there will still be some "fall out" from guys that want to leave or maybe just "lurk" without participating, but I say hang around. It is always darkest before the dawn. And I honestly think that we are just about ready to see the dawn.

For some time we were considered the "jewel" of the AACA crown. Maybe we can restore that luster and once again be what we were. A great group of Reatta enthusiasts working together to keep one of Buick's best kept secrets on the road.

Thank you

Edited February 28, 2013 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[zoltanb]

Thanks Dave!

[MCHinson]

Dave,

You are one of the individuals who have reported inappropriate posts in the Reatta Forum recently. I have actually been contacted by more people about problems here than you reallize. I will again ask that every user of this forum simply recognize that the way to keep this forum peaceful is through using the "report" button. If you see a forum user posting an inappropriate post, simply hit the "report" button. That will alert all of the moderators to the problem. Users who choose to continue to violate the rules will be suspended. Continuing to violate the rules will result in those users being banned permanently. There is no reason to argue. The rules will be enforced. I look forward to seeing the Reatta Forum operating smoothly and peacefully again.

[Guest Mc_Reatta]

Thanks to everyone who strives to make this forum the best it can be.

It's greatly appreciated!

Lurkers hang on, we hope you feel like rejoining the dialog soon. You are missed.

[KDirk]

Well, I won't be run off by some school yard level antics. I have avoided (mostly) getting involved in the recent problematic discussions as there was little need to. To the limited extent I did (one post) it was to proffer what I felt was a logical and diplomatic solution to one of the ongoing sources of friction on this board. My suggestion was not heeded (not that I expected it to be, it was after all just a suggestion) and things escalated between the titans that were clashing over various disagreements. So be it.

The real downside as I see it is that these episodes damage the reputation of this forum and may cause those with less intestinal fortitude than myself to jump ship in disgust. Then we all loose, by virtue of reduced participation. Near as I can tell by perusing current forum stats, the Reatta forum is the second most heavily posted one in the entire AACA site (after the general discussion thread); I find this rather remarkable given the short run and limited number of these cars made. We should hope for a return to more useful and civil discourse in here to maintain that #2 spot, and to ensure that this place can regain the reputation as the most helpful and active model specific vehicle forum online today.

While my posting here may be sporadic at times, that is due mostly to my workload and other commitments precluding me from spending so much time online. In any case, I will be here to the extent my schedule allows for it.

KDirk

[Booreatta]

It is a breath of fresh air to see everybody posting positive items. When I became part of this group 9 or 10 years ago everybody had good things to say and most of the time it helped everybody keep their cars running great. We had a source of reasonable priced parts and they were good parts most of the time. Then came the parts wars. High prices and lots of bitterness.

I think it is important to remember that we are guests of the AACA and the Reatta Division have zero to do with the management of this great site. Not all owners of the Reatta visit this site some dont even know about it. I commend Matt for the action to control the Reatta site...Good Job...

Now Dave...Thanks for sending all of the snow you could muster to Kansas....21" in a week is unheard of...now I know the meaning of AGONY, but keep your white stuff in WISC.

Hope to see everyone in Southbend this summer, If the snow melts in time

Chuck

[Machiner 55]

Chuck,

Hope to see everyone in Southbend this summer, If the snow melts in time

While, attending the gathering in SBN you may be treated to temps in the middle to upper 90's and relative humidity in the mid eighties with clothing that sticks to your skin. You may, at some point, wish there were 21 inches of snow outside. I always do.

John F.

[DAVES89]

Speaking from experience as we get both 21" of snow in one week and mid ninety temps w/high humidity in the summer, I never, never wish we had more snow. If it gets that hot I take the boat out or head over to my buddy's house for a golf cart ride complete with beer. It's always cooler near the lake or with enough beer who pays attention...

[Booreatta]

I always have a problem with snow, but thinkiing back to North Carolina at last summer national when it was over 106 it think, snow might have been nice lol

[MrEarl]

Dave, thanks for seeing and bringing these latest issues to Matt's attention. As Matt said, there had been numerous reports (and to numerous moderators) of rule violations and bickering going on of late here. And to give due credit and respect to all the other moderators and administrators that were working on it, I'm not sure if is fair to say that there was "no activity from the moderators to correct what was going on". It sometimes takes time to catch up with and decipher just what is going on and administer just and fair "punishment". And to avoid totalitarianism, there needs to be more than one individual making decisions as to how to handle some of these situations. In case some may not be aware, there is a Moderators Forum where these and other matters are discussed and handled by "management". I have only been a moderator for a couple of months now, and would like to say that there is a great team of moderators and administrators working there to try and make this as peaceful and pleasant a place to talk about these great automobiles as possible. As Matt pointed out, the best way to help insure these or other types of infractions to rules get reported is to click what I call the "911" button on the bottom left of the page.(the triangle with a ! in it) Click that and describe the problem and it goes out to all the moderators/administrators. Your call will be handled as quickly as possible.

Edited March 1, 2013 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[harry yarnell]

I don't seem to have a triangle (with a ! in it) on either the home page or individule post. Maybe it's too early in the day...

[MCHinson]

Harry,

Look at the left side of any post. You will see something like this copied from your last post:

<!-- google_ad_section_start(weight=ignore) -->harry yarnell<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Senior Member

Join Date Feb 2000

Location perryman,md,usa

<dl class="userinfo_extra"> </dl>

Posts 1,950

Now, look an inch or so underneath that. There should be a small button shaped like a triangle with an "!" on it. That is the report button.

[Jim]

Dave,

Thank you for your diligence and thank you Matt for your actions in trying to keep the forum as it should be.

Jim

[padgett]

I can see the triangle, never felt a call to use it people are entiled to their sometimes odd opinions, I certainly have enough (if are rich they become "eccentric").

The Reatta is an unusual car and personally feel someday it will be considered a landmark. Today's display wars all trace back to the Reatta/Riviera.

To some extent it represents the collision between people, cars, and computers. It is certainly once of the few to be able to post complete service and parts manuals online (I cannot even buy a service manual for my '12 Heep) and when I bought my '88 (which I still have) in '01 it was fascinating: transportation, hobby, and lifestyle all in one.

Yes Buick did some dumb things mostly thanks to the bean counters (15x6 wheels, little headroom with sunroof).

ANY collector car depends on vendors. They are to be valued and nurtured but occasionally need a taste of the whip. Also when I began, the car was still newish and most were pristine. Now that the last ones are over two decades old that has changed & many are #4s and have over 200k miles. These often need much more than the individual fixes of a decade ago. Some are not even worth fixing .

Aside: I recall an advt from about 1948 asking $600 for an SJ Duesenberg and 1965 asking $6000 for as Gullwing Merc. I even remember spending $1k in 1970 for a Fuel Injected Split Window coupe race car that needed little to get me through Driver's School. (SCCA).

So do forums go through ups and downs. Be glad of the moderators, they keep it from becoming commercial (have seen it happen before). Must admit I tend to drift from "beleeding edge" to "bleeding edge": once something becomes mature my involvement tends to drop. Now my main focus is WIndows Tablets in cars which is just getting started - frankly I can do more easier with Windows than with Android or iOS & why I really need to put an AUX Jack in my 90 which is why I need a complete 90-91 non-CD cubby (or two) - anyone have ?