Advice on purchasing?

[Moosefuel]

I’m not a Reatta owner, yet, but I found one with about 28,000 miles on it about an hour away. The paint doesn’t look great, and there are some chips and rust, but fixable. The owner is asking about $2200. Any advice for a potential buyer who doesn’t mind doing a bit of work over the next couple years?

[minor4326]

What year? Convert or coupe?

[Moosefuel]

It’s the 1991 coupe (not convertible). It is mechanically in good shape, according to the owner, but the body work needs doing and there are some little things like a missing passenger mirror and rust spots over the rear wheels.

[2seater]

1991 is a desired year for many reasons, mostly related to the drivetrain and brake system. The color combination is the most common of the Reatta combinations for all years, not a bad thing, just the least rare if that matters🙂 Body and paint work can be reasonable or quite expensive and rust in any form is sort of like the wormhole in an apple, it comes from the inside out. If all the glass is in good shape, that seems to be a decent price.

[Moosefuel]

1 minute ago, 2seater said:

 rust in any form is sort of like the wormhole in an apple, it comes from the inside out. If all the glass is in good shape, that seems to be a decent price.

I'm off to see it this morning, about an hour from my place. I don't mind that it's not so rare so long as it's fun to drive, just by being a Reatta it's already quite rare these days.

 

The one big apprehension I have is the rust, as I don't know if I can stomach grinding, sanding, using chemicals, and repainting, only to do it all again in a year or two.

 

Then again, maybe it's not as bad as it looks in the photo. Wish me luck.

[EmTee]

It's definitely worth a look.  Hopefully any rust is incidental any you can clean it up yourself, or professionally at a reasonable cost.  The good news is not being particularly rare or low mileage means you can give it the TLC it needs and drive it everywhere!  As a '91, it is modern enough to make a comfortable AACA or VMCCA touring car - with decent gas mileage to boot! 

[Ronnie]

This is probably a little late but there is a good list on my website of things to check when purchasing a Reatta.

 

Reatta Owners Journal - Things to check when buying a Reatta

[Barney Eaton]

The mileage and price on this car do not jive...... from the description it has had a hard life if it only has 28K

However if the mileage is actually 128K the price is in line.    Since I live in the south,  I have little experience with

rust on Reattas.   Rusted front cradle and rear mounting bolts have been reported by owners. 

I consider all Reattas rare......1991 only 1215 coupes were made, red and white exterior made up 60% of the total. 

[2seater]

4 hours ago, Barney Eaton said:

The mileage and price on this car do not jive...... from the description it has had a hard life if it only has 28K

However if the mileage is actually 128K the price is in line.    Since I live in the south,  I have little experience with

rust on Reattas.   Rusted front cradle and rear mounting bolts have been reported by owners. 

I consider all Reattas rare......1991 only 1215 coupes were made, red and white exterior made up 60% of the total. 

I sort of wondered about condition vs mileage as well, but is certainly possible depending on where it lived previously. If the BCM is changed on an earlier model, with its PROM, mileage will reflect the newly installed unit, however, the VIN will not match in diagnostics. I am not sure if the 1991 went to an integrated unit, a PCM or not?? A new guy probably won't know how to go through diagnostics to check on some of these things🙃 It is true that any 91 is somewhat rare just by the limited production. Maybe he can get the VIN for your database comparison??

[Moosefuel]

5 hours ago, Barney Eaton said:

The mileage and price on this car do not jive...

That is a really good point. 

 

I went to see the car today. The guy was nice but a bit pushy. The car itself was in rough shape. The paint clear coat was peeling much more than in the photos, there were cracks, water in the cab, deteriorating seals on the windows, and too much body rust. The gas tank and muffler would have had to be replaced, but the underbody itself was not bad. Brakes and rotors were very rusted from sitting. Inside the cab the dash was separating from itself, the ashtray was well used. It was not in bad shape for its age, I suppose, but it had not been really well cared for. 

 

The guy told me a story about how it came from a little old lady who kept it in an underground garage, but honestly that was a very far-fetched tale based almost everything EXCEPT:

 

The motor was in great shape. Everything was clean, he started it up with no problems. If the rest of the car was in as good shape I would have bought it in a heartbeat. 

 

I managed to get the VIN number, I will post it here but please tell me if I should remove it: 1G4EC13L5MB900679

 

I brought my father in law along (retired auto mechanic) and he told me in no uncertain terms that he would not under any circumstances take the car for that price, and I was sadly forced to agree. If I had a proper shop where I could completely strip it down, sandblast it, paint it, repair the leather, etc., I think I would do it, but this would be biting off more than I could chew.

 

Now that I have got a taste for the Reatta, though, I would love to eventually find one in half-decent shape. Any suggestions on where to look?

 

If anyone else is interested in picking it up, I am in the Montreal Canada area (where they put salt on the roads), I can post a link to the ad: 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1739765863214009/

[Barney Eaton]

Well knowing the vin number helped. 

I have the car listed in 1997 in St Petersburg FL with 10K miles.......no further updates. 

St Petersburg could have contributed to the rust. 

Looking at Tom Benvie's database the car is a base model... no CD, no 16 way seat or Sunroof. 

I updated my master file with the information we now have. 

[2seater]

Thanks for letting us know about this car. From your description it sounds like it is getting to be in parts car territory. The mileage is still a mystery and even if it had an additional 100k miles, or more, it should still run well, so that doesn't clear that up. It is a shame as it would be desirable. From Barney's records, only 18k miles have elapsed since the car was in Florida, and assuming he was telling the truth, there was a lot of abuse in that small window. Of course it may have been the legendary "little old lady from Pasadena" type😁 

[Moosefuel]

52 minutes ago, 2seater said:

little old lady from Pasadena" type😁 

😆 
 

I think that but might be true, but instead of the car sitting in a garage, it was probably somewhere humid outdoors. The elements here in Eastern Canada are unforgiving. Blisteringly hot and humid in summer, incredibly cold in winter with salt being spread all over the roads, and wet and mucky in between.

 

Either that or someone popped in a new engine, which I find hard to imagine.

[Ronnie]

1 hour ago, Moosefuel said:

Either that or someone popped in a new engine,

The engine running good isn't a good reflection on how many actual miles the car has. The 3800 engine can easily go 200,000 miles and still run perfectly. Your description of the car leads me to believe the mileage is way off.  I have to agree with 2 seater that this car is a really good parts car. The value of a '91 parts car might be a little higher than other models since they are harder to find than other models, but I wouldn't give the asking price for a parts car.