Guest Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 "Sport coupe" & "sports car", both misleading adjectives that one sees popping up on Ebay and other places where this car is sold. It's a nice little car, as I've said before, and I should know since I owned a coupe and a convertible, but it's outright lying to call it a "sports car". For one thing, the engine is underpowered and for another it handles like a boat when you're going around curves. I love the car, but it's definitely NOT a "sports car".<P>Bah humbug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 Handles like a boat around corners???? What're you talking about? With lots of practice & a little finesse I keep up with 2nd generation RX7s on the corners ... <P>------------------<BR>REATTA SITE:<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/gohighr/reatta.html" TARGET=_blank><BR>http://members.aol.com/gohighr/reatta.html</A> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 A Reatta is not a sports car. A Corvette is a sports car. Reatta never was, never will be.<P>A coupe is a two door car. I believe GM's idea of a "sports coupe" is a two door car without a framing around the doors. In past years, GM referred to their two door hardtop as a sports coupe. The higher priced GM cars still use a "hard top" type door with the familiar A and B post fore and aft of the door. With the door window down, a sports coupe door is the same as a convertible door-no stationary window frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 16, 2000 Share Posted December 16, 2000 How does one differentiate if a car is a sports car or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 17, 2000 Share Posted December 17, 2000 Just to toss in my .02 here. But I believe that the definition of a true sports car lyes in it's ability to completely link you with the road you are travelling. I "true" sports car had little comfort, few creature features, and is generally very impractical to drive everyday. When i hink Sports Car, I automatically think of Morgan +4, Lotus Elise, 427 Cobra, Triumph TR7, etc. In modern terms these cars are spiritually superceded by Z3s, Miatas, S2000s, and perhaps the Boxster. A sporst car should by definition DEMAND the most driver feedback and be the most envolving to enjoy. Where is the sporting nature in automatic transmissions, wide leather chairs, 14 cupholders found on many of today's "sports cars"? As for today's many advanced and extremely capable cars, there are still few I could consider "real" sporting cars :ZO6, M roadster, Miata, 360 Modena, Panoz Esperante, Boxster S, S2000 and MR2 Spyder. "Most" other high-performance cars on the market are more in tune with rapid grand touring. That JUST my humble opinion, but I believe a sports car should be pure in spirit and mechanical ability, with as little outside interference as possible. <P> No, Reattas are NOT sports cars, they never were designed to be anything close to one(takes more than the lack of a back seat to qualify). For what they are, however, they do hold there own on twisty roads, I feel perfectly at home behind the wheel of mine, carving up remote moutain roads. I also race mine in SCCA Solo II autocross. Although I'm in the same class with many more capable cars, the driver is what is most important. Last season I beat a kid driving a Acura Type R by more than two seconds. So it really doesn't matter what kind of car you drive, just HOW you drive it. Hell, I saw an El Camino woop up on some cars and actually placed second out of 30+ cars in his class(he could obviously drive like Al Unser). All in all, it really open to anybody's interpretation. I guess if you are used to driving towncars, then the Reatta may very well qualify as a sports car to you. <P>Just a simple rambling by a complicated mental disorder. <P>Jay B.<BR>Graduate of Skip Barber Perfomance Driving School Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wally888 Posted December 17, 2000 Share Posted December 17, 2000 Get a job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 17, 2000 Share Posted December 17, 2000 I've always considered the Reatta a sporty luxury coupe(or convertible) and not an all out sports car or roadster. A sports car is something that is all about performance(i.e. Corvette, 911, Viper, etc) and a roadster is about roadability(i.e Miata, Z3, TT. etc). The Reatta was more about providing a smooth comfortable ride with decent handling in a smaller or sportier package than was typically available with a luxury car, especially in the late 1980s early 90s. I think Buick should have stuck with the Reatta and I think today they badly need something like the Reatta. I'd love to see Buick come out with a new 2 seater that is RWD, sporty but muture, with a supercharged 3800 V6 or 4.0 liter DOHC V8 to take on the new T-bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 18, 2000 Share Posted December 18, 2000 Like a boat around corners??? Of course it doesn't corner like my MGB, but its not that far behind. By the way, if you are driving on the spare tire like I think you may be, handleing WILL be reduced. Remember that the spare tire is only for emergency use! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reatta Man Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 People, people, people!<P>The most telling part of the begining of this chain is the author's NAME. 'Anonymous'is soooooo confident of his opinions that he doesn't even use his name. <P>Now, as for the argument about sports cars. Well, my Reatta starts EVERY SINGLE TIME I try to use it, even if it's raining. It has glass WINDOWS instead of the British idea of humor called 'side curtains.' I can go to any one of HUNDREDS of Buick dealers and get it worked on instead of having to send to a foreign country and wait six weeks for a set of POINTS, SHOCKS OR BRAKE SHOES. My mechanic doesn't have to have a degree in physics in order to SYNCHRONIZE three side-draft carburetors. The WHEELS don't need to be removed and sent out for alignment ever time I hit a pothole. The TRUNK holds more than my wife's purse. And, it has something called 'AIR CONDITIONING,' which, to the British racing green types, that means that on a hot summer day, I won't be cooked alive from the heat of the engine coming up through the uninsulated rusting floor boards like those on your old MG. And, most of all, even though it sold in small numbers, Reattas were sold by BUICK, which, last time I looked, hasn't gone bankrupt after years of British government subsidies or was not bought out by Ford!<P>Yes, my Reatta isn't a 'sports car.' Thank the Lord!<P>------------------<BR>1965 Wildcat Custom Convertible<BR>1970 GS coupe<BR>1990 Reatta coupe<BR>1999 Regal GSE<BR>2002 Reatta II coupe (I wish!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 19, 2000 Share Posted December 19, 2000 I have owned several of what I called 'sport cars', among them were a Jag XK-150, MGB, TR-7, Opel GT and am now driving my 2nd. 2nd gen. RX-7. I also owned 2 280ZX's and a 300 ZX which I referred to as luxury sport cars as they had auto-trans., power windows etc. I tend to place my 89 Reatta in that class as it definately doesn't have the power of the Zcars, it handles almost as good and is a real joy to drive. If I want some excitement I get out my RX-7 and head for the mountains, It is truly a Sports Car in anybody's book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2000 Share Posted December 20, 2000 Silly me ....<P>... and I thought that if it wasn't a truck & it only had TWO seats - it MUST be a SPORTS CAR.<P>------------------<BR>REATTA SITE:<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/gohighr/reatta.html" TARGET=_blank><BR>http://members.aol.com/gohighr/reatta.html</A> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 22, 2000 Share Posted December 22, 2000 Hey...sports car or not, I have to say that I THOROUGHLY enjoy driving my Reattas, so I don't care if you call them Sports Cars, Sport Coupes, or just plain old Fun Car!!!!!<P>Mike Book BCA # 9202<BR>Reatta Club # 407<P>1990 Reatta Coupe ( 2 )<BR>1951 Buick model 45R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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