What can you tell me

[Guest]

I am interesed in getting a Reatta someday and was wondering what some of the potential problems are. What does one need to look for and stay away from. I have a 86 grand national and an 88 lesabre t-type.TIA<P>------------------<BR>Lars

[Guest]

Lars, the answer is simple, Electronics and body parts. There are parts of the Reatta that are totally unique and damn hard to replace.<P>As far as the rest of the car? Think mid to late eighties Riviera. If you can find someone who has one, they can tell you everything you need to know about a Reatta and maintenace.<P>Due to this cars "Unique" market, alot of sophisticated electronics were put into them. Unfortunatly, not all of them pull up codes when they go bad. For the ones that do, it's a simple trip to Auto Zone or Pep Boys and your back on the road.<P>For the parts that don't, (Think ECM, ICM, Fuel Pump, etc) You have to play the guessing game. If your car starts running bad, the first thing someone will do is try to read your cars computer (At least that's what they did to me)<P>If the computer says the car is O.K. (But it stalled ten times on the way to the shop) then it's time to start pulling your hair out!<P>If you trully own the two cars you mentioned, you might be dissapointed in with the lack of "Mind boggling" speed. Allthough GM had the potential to make these cars as fast as the GN or T-Type, they did'nt want to.<P>Allthough I'm sure they ride much smoother than either one of those two, The Reatta is definately no "Speed demon"<P>If you're trully interested in one you've come to the right place. If you keep checking your bound to find one on this site in your area and price range.<P>Good Luck!

[Guest]

Thanks for the info.<BR> I understand that they were not in the same league as a GN as far as straight line performance. The lesabre has the 3800 so I am familiar with those engines.<BR> The GN is a money pit although enjoyable. I am used to no one knowing how to work on it and doing most if not all repairs on my own.<BR> I will keep checking out this site and try to learn a little more before jumping into another car. Thanks again<BR>

[Guest]

For better braking ABS module, stick with a 91. If you are handy, however, it looks like any of the years will generally give you good performance for a long time.<P>

[Guest wally888]

I have owned 3 of these things,2 currently.<BR>It is a love/hate relationship!<BR> Two of the 3 had a complete file of repair records and they are mind boggling but I suspect at least 1/2 of each were ripoffs or "lets replace this and see if that fixes it" deals!The bill then said"we had to replace THESE parts and labor charges were jokes. $83 to replace a relay! I think if you stay tuned to this forum tou will gain knowledge that will save a lot of$'s in repair bills!

[wheresjim]

I'd like to expand on what Wally just said concerning servicing these cars. <P>I think that these cars get a bad rap alot of times because of the lack of understanding. Most mechanics I have dealt with (especially since coming out to California) have very little understanding of Reattas. So if something's wrong, and they can't find out what it is through the computer they start fishing. Replace this, that and the other until the problem disappears, not because they figured out the problem, but because they got lucky.<P>If you take away the cost of the misdiagnosed repairs you will find that the maintenance of this car is quite reasonable. <P>The 3.8L engine is strong (not outrageously fast, but...) and I (Knock on wood) haven't had an engine problem with the exception of some sensors (oxy, MAF and crank)going bad and I'm at 220,000 miles! <P>My suggestion (if you choose to get a Reatta and to anyone who has one) is to get the shop manual, use it, this forum, and Tom Jenkins' excellent FAQ (www.reatta.net) to diagnose any problems yourself (should you have any). You'll save yourself some $$$ and alot of grief by preventing the fishing expeditions.<P><P>------------------<BR><B>Jim Gough</B><BR>www.esprinkles.com<BR>www.reatta.org