I own an '89 Reatta as a daily driver, and I love it! Compared to the cheaply made compact cars I've predominantly owned, this car is a calming, quiet, peaceful sanctuary - Heavy traffic and bad drivers just seem trivial when you're driving one. The CRT touchscreen is surprisingly responsive and acts as more than a quirky throwback to 80's tech - not only can you control and access your radio/tape deck, climate, and trip info, but you can even use it as an onboard diagnostic tool which gives real time data of various sensors under the hood! You can diagnose engine issues from the driver's seat of your car! How cool is that?
hey, was hoping you could tell me if it’s ever given you any trouble? engine problems? otherwise i’ve been looking to buy one myself, i have an 04 impala at the moment which is super reliable it just doesn’t have a cool digital dash that would make me feel like i’m in star wars 😂
I have an 88 and can't agree more. I even added remote start, a subwoofer in my spare tire, a dash cam/reverse cam on my rear view mirror and ect. Love my reatta. Can't wait to pull it out of the garage in a couple weeks. Never seen a winter
@@jakedunham7709 Assuming you have an LS you basically have the same engine that's in the Reatta, it's just the 3800 in the Reatta is of the previous generation; a series 1 versus your Impala's series 2. Doesn't really mean much though, as they're both immensely reliable.
@@Vivi-tz2rl it's been as reliable as you'd imagine an 80s car to be. Lots of bolts and clips that need replacing from falling apart over time. No problems with the trans or engine though and I've done all the basic maintenance that should be done. Had to replace some small stuff, the most expensive being the ICM because it was leaking (very common) which was about $120. Other then that the cars been great. Very nice classic luxury car to get for cheap
I just bought one, love it. Drives great, and all the electronics work perfectly. It was throwing an error on the screen, and after diagnostic, it turns out it was the check engine idiot light was burned out. The computer actually tracks stuff like that. The gas mileage you see in the video is an average thru mostly stop and go traffic. Mine gets 28-32mpg at 60-70mph on the highway. This car has 4 computers, the one for the engine, the one that runs the touch screen with diagnostics, one that controls body items like heat/air, interior electrics, and the instrument cluster including its light bulbs. A smaller computer is in the trunk running the antilock brakes. The car rides like a luxury sedan, smooth and quiet. The car is very heavy, and you can feel the weight when you drive. Its after all, not a sports car, its a two seat luxury coupe.
It was actually a quite advanced design, especially for GM in the 80s. The relatively heavy weight was primarily due to the advanced safety & luxury features and the advanced electronics. The 4-wheel independent suspension gave a very smooth & comfortable ride, especially for a 2-seater coupe. The sloppy handling was due to the typical Buick ultra-soft suspension tuning, they didn't want to turn off the typical Buick customers by going with a harsh & stiff Corvette-like ride, remember this was a personal luxury coupe, NOT a sports car. Ultimately the Reatta was a very experimental and advanced design that wasn't given enough development in the areas of powertrain, weight-reduction methods, and suspension tuning. If Buick had given it the supercharged 3800 and tightened up the suspension along with using some lightweight aluminum, polymer, & fiberglass materials to reduce weight then it definitely would have been a bigger success and certainly would have lasted much longer than it did.
I just fell in love with this car. I own a 1998 Buick Skylark and I love it ,but when I saw the all digital dashboard and the digital display for the radio my jaw fell on the floor. I love the way this car looks!
Whenever I go to the mall with my mom and brother.My mom drives down a route to go home and there's always a buick reatta parked in this person's driveway sitting in the same spot every time I see it.There's always so much stuff in it too.My mom said she has seen a couple more cars in the front of thier house that are also filled with so much stuff.So the owner basically uses it to put stuff in it and is never driven.I also love buick reattas and thier one of my dream cars.Not because of looks but because of how advanced it was for its time
This car has a few cool features that most off today's cars dont have like how the glovebox opens or how the memory seats is built in the car's screen. Really cool :)
I came across an imgur post about this model. I am quite amused to see the style of display and the touch screen computer. And this is from what 88? It looks very interesting and functional for today's roads. I mean add what? Blue tooth and you are golden. What a nice car.
Hearing that door chime gives me that feeling you get from watching family VHS tapes and seeing your grown up family all young before you were born. Lovely car!
I love the 80s tech in this car. I will def keep my eyes open for on e now. Grew up in the 80s cars weren't fast the nerds movie was out and it was all about tech coming soon. this car is the first I've seen with touch etc. I love all of the options. a geek would love this on biz trips etc. no more logging in a spiral notebook!
Interesting car, oozes 80's futurism, like Robocop. The touchscreen is amazing for the time period of the car, even though it's probably unhandy to use while driving.
I saw this car the other day. I wanted to learn more about it. So i came here. I was stunned by the digital instruments and displays. It seems so advanced for its time. And the still work! Most Cars today (expensive cars too) don't have a touch screen onboard computer like that. That is so awesome. The only thing I don't like is the all red interior, that is too much red for me. I bet this was another great american car people ignored and forgot about :(
this car is so cool. i work valet and an old guy came in with one and i thought it was something like a fiat or alfa because ive never seen one. he said "take care of my baby will you?". then i was like..."wow this car is more interesting than i thought" when i got in. i was surprised to see the screen still working, and quite cool for its age because it was techy. but i didnt know it was touchscreen!!!
These were built at the Lansing Craft Center; the same place that built the EV-1 and the SSR. Nice car for a two seater. Really nice for a 20+ year old car.
Wow! I am buying one of these tomorrow.. 1990 Saphire Blue color in like new condition. this video has me excited! I want something different than everyone else has and none on the road where I live.
I had a family member that worked for GM at the studio that design this car. I used to have pictures of the Reatta concept and production. It was one of this first car at that time to have a touch screen.
Touchscreen, though spoken about with disdain by many in the automotive press, was and is pretty neat. The only thing I could see growing to hate about it is the fact that it beeps twice every time you make a selection.
My grandma's 1987 Riviera had the same digital dash and touch screen climate control, radio etc. That was an awesome car, very ahead of its time. Hey Kyle, a 1987 Riviera is hard to find, it would be cool if you find one and review it!!
Im getting mine today! God bless facebook marketplace. I found a 1988 much like this one but black interior. Florida driven so its rust free, only problem is a cracked subframe but im a welder so that no problem. Best $950 ill ever spend
Definitely looks like a nice car. I personally think it should be RWD, because if you're going to make a car have no back seats, you mine as well make it an all purpose sports car. Just in my opinion. Nice car!
@Dalit5 I don't think it shares the Fiero platform. The Fiero was mid-engined, rear wheel drive where i think the Reatta is Front/Front drive. Might be wrong though. Wheel base looks real close. Cool find Kyle!
the trip computer says we june 8th you just now get this? Nice car got love the red Burgundy car interior! I had a1988 white Monte Carlo with the Burgundy interior loved it!
