Congratulations to Barney!?

[Guest wally888]

Alright, I give.

After 4 years on the Forum, 1500+ posts and having to read the numerous hype posts of Barney re. joining the B.C. of A. and Reatta Division, I have decided to join!

Barney still has a chance to save me the $45. I have used his name as my sponser on the application and he can deny he knows me.

Perhaps I have over stated the reason/decision to join. Actually helpful posts by many members have helped in the decision. Also my suddenly owning 2 Reattas again. I have probably saved several thousand dollars and many hours due to information on this forum and, thanks to Tom Jenkins, reatta.net. And, to the many others, too numerous to mention, Thanks!

Guess I'll just add the $45 outlay to the total costs of returning the 90 Conv. to great condition but spending that kind of money still pains me.

Perhaps others will read this and...........

[Barney Eaton]

The internet has created a strange problem. You can come to these pages and join in on the discussion for nothing......so why join the BCA or Reatta division.

The easy answer is to attend one national meet and you will never ask the question again, it is an addiction. Meeting people and seeing their cars in person, you cannot place a value on that experience.

You might also be aware there are some cost for this discussion that are covered by the Reatta division, we are happy to provide the service and help Reatta owners across the country and around the world. People like Roberta Vasilow (past president of the BCA) give their time and talent to the web page of the BCA and Reatta division.

In this age of electronics, you expect to find the information but seldom think where it comes from. It comes from the friendly, members of the BCA and Reatta division, on the other end of that CRT screen. Many of the members have not become part of the electronics age and the phone and hand written messages are their way of communications, they are the ones you will meet at the national and regional Buick meets.

$45 a year is a small price to pay to become an active member of one of the finest automobile clubs around, especially when they cater to your Buick.

I must now go to the garage and put a shine on the Maui Blue coupe for it is going to a Buick show tomorrow, probably the first show it has attended and it deserves the best shine I can give it.

[Guest wally888]

Please, somebody, put him back in his cage! More hype.

[Guest tempest68]

The internet was how I found this forum, several MONTHS after purchasing our Reatta. Through this forum is how we found out about the BCA and RDiv. So then after joining we find out about the 100th Anniversary gig in Flint last year.

Since we never see more than two Reattas together at any one time here, since it was the 100th, since we've never been to MI before, and since we knew we'd get to meet Barney, Nancy, Greg Ross, etc, etc, there was no way we were going to miss out on that opportunity.

One thing I noticed while hanging out with all of the fellow RDiv members and other owners in Flint was this... It seemed like Lisa and I were probably two of the youngest folks there with a Reatta (FYI...we're in our mid-thirties). My only concern with this observation is that someday when the older members of the club stop participating, will there be enough newer members to keep this club(cult) alive and well. I hope there will be, for all of us. But how do we attract new members that have the same desire to see these vehicles well maintained and shown instead of bought and used as just another used vehicle? Unfortunately, our Reatta has been used/abused alot in its life and so we actually fit that profile (of treating it like a used car). I'd like to bring this one up to snuff, but it'd be cheaper to just get a second one that's already nice and keep it preserved.

At the annual meeting, it was discussed that the current club officials would like to rotate out of the positions and let new blood eventually take the reigns. Unfortunately, not too many people were willing to volunteer to apply for these positions. Again, I feel personally that I may not be the best person to step into those shoes for several reasons. First, since we dont have a well-kept example of the Reatta, what would that say to fellow and potential new club members? Second, we really do have alot of personal things going on in our lives right now to be able to take on new commitments and be effective. Maybe someday down the road when we retire, we'll have more time to devote to these things. But for now, its just not happening.

But bottom line, I'd like to see more people join the club and try to be more active. After all, the club is only as good as its active participants make it. Otherwise, what's the point.

[Bob]

I'm 24 and just getting into this cult, well I like to call it church, I attend service in my garage almost every day of the week .

Just have to hope more people in thier 30s join in, the younger generation would get into reattas and start putting on huge mufflers, neons, body kits and stickers .

[Rawja]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> One thing I noticed while hanging out with all of the fellow RDiv members and other owners in Flint was this... It seemed like Lisa and I were probably two of the youngest folks there with a Reatta (FYI...we're in our mid-thirties). My only concern with this observation is that someday when the older members of the club stop participating, will there be enough newer members to keep this club(cult) alive and well. I hope there will be, for all of us. But how do we attract new members that have the same desire to see these vehicles well maintained and shown instead of bought and used as just another used vehicle? Unfortunately, our Reatta has been used/abused alot in its life and so we actually fit that profile (of treating it like a used car). I'd like to bring this one up to snuff, but it'd be cheaper to just get a second one that's already nice and keep it preserved.

</div></div>

If you'll forgive the appearance of me being egotistical, I'm now going to quote myself:

(originally posted 6/14/03)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

The Reatta Discussion Group, Reatta.net and the Reatta Division of the BCA are only reaching a tiny sliver of the pool of Reatta owners out there. According to R.L. Polk, there are a little over 18,000 Reattas still registered and in use in North America, representing 84% of the original build of this model. Throw in an unknown number of currently unregistered Reattas, coupled with the surviving 1986-1993 Rivieras, and there are a fairly large number of vehicles and owners that could benefit from the expertise posted on this board, but are unaware of its existence. Judging from anecdotal evidence, (extremely cloudy taillights on Reattas I see on the road, people bidding way over the ?new? cost for tatty used Reatta parts as well as the ridiculous prices paid for ?R? logos stuck to household items on eBay) there are a great number of Reatta owners that are unaware of the information available here.

I believe one of the purposes of our group is the restoration and preservation of the Reatta for posterity and we are failing to get the word out about our existence, and are therefore failing in a category that means a great deal to us whether we realize it or not.

Think about how difficult it would be for you to keep your Reatta running if you did not have access to this board and how much money you have saved by learning about the Reatta?s eccentricities. This is the situation faced by the vast majority of Reatta owners out there.

I also believe that almost no driver of a Reatta does not qualify as a Reatta enthusiast, given the sacrifices in practicality and the inherent additional costs they are signing up for by driving a Reatta instead of a "normal" car.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Some thoughts about what we can do? </span>

It is possible that we could get the registration data from R.L. Polk in order to do a mailing to Reatta owners informing them of the support available here (I have no idea what the costs would be, it may very well be too expensive)

We could individually print up small flyers along the lines of ?Keep Your Reatta Running Right? with the Reatta.net address and leave them on any Reattas we see along our travels.

We could post an ad on eBay that would direct the reader to the Reatta.net site and this discussion group. The ad could sell membership in the BCA and the Reatta Division with paypal as the method of payment if approval of this arrangement is granted by the BCA, or alternatively the ad could sell Reatta ?R? logo lapel pins (which are available for like 3 bucks a piece, so if you sold them dutch for like say, $4 each the ad could more than pay for its self.

?Reatta.net? bumper stickers (these coud be made from plastic static-cling material for those of us who don't like adhering stickers to our cars) would let both Reatta owners as well as potential Reatta owners know that there is a resource available to satisfy their curiosity about these unique automobiles.

Re-jigger the Reatta.net welcome screen to make it obvious to even the most myopic browser that the discussion group can be accessed from the page something like a button that says ?to the Reatta discussion? or something.

Making it known to owners of 86-93 Rivieras that we are a resource available for technical support? this can be accomplished in a number of ways, a listing in the BCA Technical Advisors for 1986-1993 Rivieras (for which there is no support listed at all currently) As well as reaching out to Rivi-specific discussion groups and clubs that unparalleled support and expertise for those years of the Riviera is already online and available via the Reatta group.

<span style="font-weight: bold">What?s in it for us? </span>

Primarily, parts availability and cost, and secondarily potentially higher values for our cars.

Given the incredibly small parts market we currently represent, we are being ignored by both GM and the aftermarket. But, using the numbers of Reattas still registered, one can do a little extrapolation?

There are around 10,000 88-89 Reattas still plying the roadways plus and unknown number of 86-89 Rivieras out there and almost every one of them can probably use a new power mirror switch, but the item is no longer available.

There are around 16,000 Reatta coupes still registered, and there is currently no source for door seals. While I have applied many a conditioning product to mine, and I am currently leak free, but I would jump at the chance to have some nice supple weather-stripping to install at a reasonable price.

Time is taking its toll on our cars, and the interior trim on all of our cars is deteriorating or has already reached the state where replacement is warranted, but replacements are not available (interior door trim panels in particular, but dashes and such will go in the future as well).

Aftermarket improvement items such as decent headers while shown to have limited appeal based on the responses to previous attempts to garner orders for a fabrication run, would become viable if the audience was increased.

Consolidating ourselves into a concentrated market for items that we are all in need of would make it attractive for vendors to provide us with what we need for a reasonable cost, as well as providing us with more Reattaphiles to interact with.

I'm sure there are other items we could use, the above are just illustrations of stuff on my "wish-list" that would become readily available if we could pre-sell enough to warrant a production run.

People who approach me when I?m out with my Reatta are extremely impressed with the car and are shocked when I tell them how inexpensive it would be for them to purchase one for themselves. I always make sure I tell them that they can learn everything they could want to know about them via Reatta.net and the discussion group, and stress how economical owning one of these unique automobiles can be. I believe if we all become ?ambassadors? for the Reatta, we can help generate interest in and higher prices for Reattas, both in the short term and in the future.

Just throwing out a few thoughts that I?ve had? I welcome criticism?

Thanks.

</div></div>

Although I received a number of compliments on the above post, and even had an edited version of it printed in the Reatta newsletter, none of the ideas I mentioned has been persued by anyone, myself included.

I am an electrical contractor, and generally work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, so as you can imagine, I don't have a lot of spare time on my hands, and a lot of you are probably not sitting around with nothing to do either, but a number of the items mentioned would have required zero effort.

So, I'm gonna put my money where my mouth is.

<span style="font-weight: bold">What I'm gonna do: </span>

I have purchased over a hundred "Reatta" lapel pins.

I am going to put an ad up on ebay that will sell the pins, but will primarily serve to direct people who are looking at/into Reattas towards Reatta.net and this discussion forum.

<span style="font-weight: bold">What you all can do: </span>

If this sucessfully drives a lot of newbies to this forum asking questions, instead of chastising to use the search function, answer their questions. A lot of us enjoy helping people, if you don't want to do the leg work for them, fine. One of the other members surely will. This will help us retain the people the people who check out this site, and by extension will help keep current Reatta owners "in the fold". I have considered getting a new/different hobby car on a number of occaisions, but the quality of the support for the Reatta has kept me from defecting to say, an Allante.

<span style="font-weight: bold">In the current issue of The Buick Bugle there is still no technical advisor listed for '86-93 Rivieras. </span>

I am too busy and completely unqualified to be listed as a technical advisor, but we have the expertise in our group to cover this, and the people who would need this support would be an added audience for parts and eventually an added source of expertise for our platform mates.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Reatta.net could use a big button (or someting attention-getting) that says something to the effect of "to the Reatta Discussion forum" </span>

<span style="font-weight: bold">More stuff that I'm willing to do: </span>

I am going to compose and post a flyer that you can print out, keep a few in the glove box of your cars (non-Reattas included) and if you see a Reatta, leave it on the car. I have done this numerous times with hand written notes, and have been gratified to see a least one time it drove a new person to the board.

<span style="font-weight: bold">Other Items:</span>

I have done some reasearch work on getting a 88-89 power mirror switch restoration kit made up, but truthfully, I'm already running a business here, it would be nice if someone who is already in the Reatta parts business to do this.

Before my Reatta, I had a '73 Citroen SM. This was a car that was even less sucessful than the Reatta, was older and FRENCH, and yet I was able to get American-made reproduction seals (and yes, they were extremely complex items, not easily fabricated generic-style items).

Is someone willing to get out there and do some leg work on this?

I think we could also get someone to get clear vinyl www.Reatta.net static cling "stickers" made up. I'm thinking of somthing that looks like the lettering that you sometimes see accross the top of windshields on some cars, but i'd put it accross the rear wondow at the top. It being static cling would make it totally temporary, and I'd imagine that they would be fairly cheap. Any volunteers?

<span style="font-weight: bold">The BCA and the Reatta Division needs to accept PayPal</span>

That would give us an opportunity to make BCA and Reatta Division membership easier to do as an "impulse purchase" and would make signing up and renewing less of a pain in the a**. If a small surcharge is necessary to make this economically viable, so be it.

Well, that's my rant for the day.

Whuddy'all think?

[Guest wally888]

Great post!

I will have to review/read several times to digest.

Recently I sent a letter to the "Car Talk" guys describing the brakes situation on Reattas, lack of info to those unfamilar w/ Reatta Discussion Forum, etc. I used the recent purchase of a 90 and the condition of the brake system maintained by unknowing owner and mechanic. (no flush, completely failed accumulator, potential of accident, etc).

I begged them to write a column telling of potential brake problems, notifying ownwers of the R. Forum and reatta.net

[Rawja]

I have sent E-Mails to the Car mags, but a concentrated effort by many would surely help.

A feature on The Reatta in the "Collectable Classic" page in Automobile Magazine or "Escape Road" in AutoWeek, etc, (every car mag has this feature) would generate some interest and publicity for the Reatta and for this forum as well.

We would probably have to arrainge to have someone with a pristine Reatta to do the drive with the magazine's writer, but I would imagine the prestige of having your car used would make this an easy thing to find.

[Guest HessLakeGuy]

The convention is in about two months.....there you can meet the people that post things on this forum.

[Guest dukeofo]

I would like a copy of the note to leave on cars, and/or some samples of business size cards that I could have printed on the back of a personal business card.....

I have been wanting local chapters/car clubs to do same without much success..... except the Gateway Chapter does it very well. We'll see them in Aug in Collinsville, IL for the regionals.

Any suggestions on business cards would be helpful, logos, etc and what works and doesn't work.

thanks ya'll......

See ya in Plano.