1988 Buick Reatta | Retro Review
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- Опубліковано 30 жов 2021
- Was the Reatta ahead of its time, or just perceived as a budget Cadillac Allanté?
Show 719 | Originally Recorded 02-04-1989
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What a unique looking car for the time - gotta hand it to GM for trying something new. And that touch screen looks so retro sci fi lol.
For a 1988 car it sure is damned good looking and has aged very well.
Were they that great looking at the time? I mean some cars (like the 5th gen/EG Civic hatch) were quite ordinary when they were being sold, but somehow look great now in standard form.
@@ZIGZAG12345 I was 20 when these came out and they definitely were on my friends list of “attainable dream cars” but the buzz faded fast as there seemed to be new cool cars released monthly back then and I think the Beretta was released about the same time and seemed like every second person I knew had one before long…especially the GTZ or the civic was huge as well
@@rod22lt Now that you mention Honda, the Reatta doesn't look much like a Civic but it does look a bit like a Prelude from the same year.
I was 17 when these came out. My group was still focused on the 5.0 Mustangs and Grand Nationals. The Reattta was kind of like an upscale Fireo , which wasn’t really regarded as any kind of sports or muscle car. However watching this video, I do now appreciate how modern and cutting edge this car was.
I liked those digital displays myself, like the ones used on the '82 Continental (that is, until that car's carburetor gave out, no Ford dealer would touch it even for money, forcing us to use an incompatible carburetor that allowed the engine to run but the entire display screen was dark due to absence of hook-ups). Ironically, touch-screens which were criticized left-and-right in the '80s and early-'90s have made a comeback of sorts. Now, they're even more distracting than the ones from back then were accused of being...but nobody says anything about it.
Other than the transmission recall being highly unknown and there being a lack of internet at the time to find these things out. My 1989 was an awesome car. It's still running today, with 371k on the original engine.
Wow! Great to hear! ❤
3800 for the win!
Yeah right you know that thing hasn't driven in 10 years
A oh wait never mind it has a 3.8 l okay it's still running 😂
thinking of buying one thats right by my house its a 1988 it has 102k miles and the guys selling it for $4000, in thinking of buying it as my first car
That legendary 3800... Always loved the way they sounded accelerating...
GM had the best sounding V6 engines from the late 80s to the mid 90s, great rumble even through stock exhaust, miss that noise!
@@BennyT_3434 For sure not!
What was legendary about this engine?
They do make a good sound. Not especially quick but you can’t have everything.
@@MercOne These Series I 3800's are virtually un-killable. They typically outlasted the crappy cars they were bolted into. I have a '90 Oldsmobile Trofeo in my garage with one as I type, still running like new almost 32 years later.
I own a 1989 model, seriously one of the coolest cars I’ve ever seen. Always makes me happy to take it to Car Shows and no one can figure out what it is 😂
Cashier sue own that car
Thank you Motorweek for the review! I'm going to pull the trigger one of these and go to my local Buick dealer to order a brand new 1988 Reatta right now!
Seen a Nice Blue one Last week Historic tags ! It got a Lot of Looks driving down the highway get off on Belair road
I LOVED the way this car looked and still do. I was also pretty smitten on the similarly styled but less sporty looking Oldsmobile Trofeo.
Agreed! Both cars were/are beautiful examples of what the general could do when they put their minds to it.
Toronado
The Trofeo looked 10x better than the Reatta. The Reattas awkward hind quarters was always a turn off to me.
My two favorite cars. Owned 5 Trofeos in the past and getting ready to buy a Reatta
I rented a Riviera back in 1986. All I did was sit in the parking lot playing with the Touch Screen. It seemed like from Outer Space
I remember the Buick Reatta well. I was a salesman at Rae Keech Buick in Ellicott City, MD when I sold my first one. That car was something to talk about, for sure.
I love that throtty exhaust note. The 3800s have always been one of my favorite engines. 😇
Man! Even today I still love that Buick. I first saw it at the L.A. Auto show back in '88 when I was 14.
I remember seeing it in that show in '88 also! My senior year in High School, what memories.
I love it, the digital stuff and the pop up lights are so 80s.
Such an underrated car
"A brisk 9 seconds", those were the days!!🤣
One of the prettiest cars from the 80s and 90s. ❤️
I was on my summer vacation here in Germany and was very surprised that one of the neighbours had a Reatta on his driveway. It was neglected, but it was a Reatta. In Germany. In 2021. They were never sold here, at least not official.
“Overly digitized dash” ..oh just you wait, 1980’s John. Just you wait.😂
The 3800 V6 is one of the best engines GM ever made!
I have to agree. I drive my mother in laws '00 Lesabre with that 3.8. Only 120k miles. It's smooth, and so easy to work on!
@@john5389 Yes i had the supercharged version in my 99 Grand Prix GTP with 200k it was still going strong!
@@john5389 I agree, I have the 3800 series II supercharged on my 97 Riviera, with 100k, no issues, lots of power, smooth, quiet.
yes they do but i had better luck with ecotec engines, the lsj still holds the record of the fastest 4cyl in the world and its the only one around 2000hp to still use the oem cast alu block
What? Did you ever drive a car with one? My parents had 3 different cars with a 3.8 and I hated each one. These engines made molasses seem quick.
John wasn't kidding at the beginning, this was a treat! I'd love a '95 Riviera Retro Review!
If the Reatta had gotten the Series 2 3800 V6(normally aspirated(205hp) and supercharged(240hp)), it would have lasted longer on the market! It would be even more remembered than it is now!
The Series 2 debuted in 1995, well after Reatta production had ended.
@@FoDaddy You're right! If the Reatta had been able to last that long, it would have gotten that engine!
Easy to swap the Series 1 supercharged 3800's into these, they bolt right in. Have a '90 Oldsmobile Trofeo I've considered doing that to for years, hate to yank my original 32 year old 3800 out though, still runs like new.
Thank you for this GM/Buick video. Thank you for the efforts to bring them back. It is was interesting how many GM parts this car shared with Buick Riviera.
“IBelow bumper grille work as big a a shark’s mouth”... fast forward to 2021:we have grilles as big as a whale’s mouth
The worst current styling trend IMO.
@@smithraymond09029 not
And drivers to match
This is without a doubt the coolest Car I've never heard off, is that a Touch Screen I saw? This thing had a touchscreen in 1988, this Car was insani ahead of it's time..
The way they worked is really wild. lasers from two axis came across the screen and it could tell where your finger was by where it broke the beams.
@@ArmySigs Thats Pretty Cool.
My Reatta gave me 360,000 miles of pure joy. The car spoiled me rotten. Only an accident took it away from me. Yes the rear brakes could be noisy but that was fixable. The 3800 was ballet proof. Miss it.
Lol. That good old 3800 sound.
Good fucking lord, that start up. I love 3800 sound so much
Rear wheel drive and a supercharged model would made this car desireable
Nice one for sale in my area. If it was like you say, id buy it ..the FWD just turns me off
Yes, I agree. They dropped the ball on this one!
Why would they that? The Buick grand national already does all that.
@@applepoop10
Yes but it was a full size luxury car. Not a pony car.
More of a luxury car yeah, but GM also had four wheel drive at the time in the similarly sized Pontiac 6000, so something like that would've made things more interesting. There's just something frustrating in this - being the world's largest car manufacturer, GM should've been able to make flagship cars like this more advanced, and use them to build the brand image. They had all this technology, but it was scattered around the globe like some treasure in an Indiana Jones flick.
Imagine if the Solstice/Sky was also sold in Reatta form...maybe even a Reatta GS for the Ecotech turbo versions, almost nobody woulda bought it but still a cool thought, lol
4:22 I was NOT expecting that thing to burn rubber like that, holy shit.
'but the drivetrain is sophisticated'
SKUURRRR!!!!
Those 3800s ain't no joke lol
I own two of these and there is really something about these cars. Comfortable, reliable, and very pretty! Love my Reattas :D
I never worry about whether or not a car is perfect I see imperfect cars as guinea pigs a blank canvas that I can express my creative juices on.
If it were rear wheel drive it would still be a well known and loved car today.
Such a beauty!!!! 😍😍😍 And that spinning fan icon is super cool
Still a slick-looking car. I can confirm this was not a sports car though. Not even a sporty car. My sister had a 1990 Reatta that I got to drive once. The steering wheel was huge and the steering feel was vague. Think traditional 80s Buick steering. The 3.8L V6 was a huge engine for such a small car, but it honestly didn't feel all that powerful. The 0-60 in 9sec confirms that. It was an excellent engine though. One of GMs best over the last 40yrs. The seatbacks didn't have an adjustment or locking mechanism, so you were stuck with the recline position. If the passenger seat was unoccupied and you hit the brakes hard, the seatback would flop forward. The 80s were a different time for automotive engineering. That's for certain.
You say that but the 60 degree engines sounded a lot nicer
Yeah these 1st gen 3800 V6's weren't fast but they pulled pretty strong from a stop with all the torque they produce. Have this motor in my heavier '90 Oldsmobile Trofeo (original engine, still running like new at 32 years old)... Wont beat many modern cars racing but it'll still smoke the front tires easily like it did in this video lol.
“Below bumper grille work as big a a shark’s mouth”... fast forward to 2021: we have grilles as big as a whale’s mouth
Nice little cars. They look great, and will stay running forever with the 3.8, which you can still easily get parts for. Snag one while you can, though, 'cause they're getting harder to come by in good shape, especially the convertibles. They only made about 22,000 of them, and 10% of those were were the drop tops.
I used to watch this every Saturday morning as a kid 😀
Under the thigh support has been long overlooked since then.
My neighbor was a big Buick lover and remember he used to have 2 of them, a red one and a silver one, back in the day. He'd get pissed if someone accidentally called it a Miata instead of a Reatta lol.
I always wanted this one... I still want but I can't afford it and there is like one post-lift version without the touch screen :/
I'd love to have one with touch screen panel. This car is still beautiful :)
my friend drives one of these, the touch screen totally blows my mind
A car ahead of its time
I owned one for a few years and really liked it, my only complaint was the engine was a bit of a dog, I drove it from SF to Monterey Bay Aq. and the hilly roads of Hwy. 17 was a task for the car Constantly down shifting in order to power up the grade..It got to be annoying quickly. Other wise around town was fine.
I have an 89 Reatta and I love it. So much fun to drive. Today this car still runs well and has less than 107,000 miles on it. Original Engine. I love the interior space as well as the large truck space.
I used to think these were the coolest cars when I saw them on the road.
That's probably the only American car of that era that would still look good today; it looked better than most of its competition from Japan and Europe, and I've never said that about any other American car!
The only one? I'd say there's quite a few from this era that still look good today.
@@Stressless2023 Not that I can think of off the top of my head.
@@sammyt3514 I think old Mustang GT's and Camaro's from this timeframe still look good (if they're in good shape lol). The Chrysler Conquest is still a nice design (technically a Mitsubishi though). Also think the big 2door K5 Chevy Blazers look pretty awesome.
A very attainable way to get into the classic car club! Still looks modern, blows people away when you say it came with the touchscreen, some 30+ years ago! I’ve had an ‘88 since 2014, still love it every time I drive it. Hugs the road, gets decent mileage, the 3800 is almost bulletproof, you won’t see dozens of them at any car show, can haul a surprising amount of gear/luggage/purchases. Yes, the dash is a bit dated, but the amount of passenger room it allows is crazy! Will you get rich selling one? No, but that’s not why we Reatta owners have them. It’s a tight knit community, with an amazing supporter in EastCoastReatta, Marck Barker. He’s dedicated his career to this car, he’s young, knowledgeable, & a pleasure to do business with. (And to those who say the Reatta took name from Miata, remember, it came out a full 2 years before the Miata. Different cars for different purposes. I’ve actually had mine called a “Regatta” more often than a Miata. 😂)
I’ve always thought these cars were amazing looking, I think it looks like it could be sold today… maybe update the touch screen to CarPlay 😝
From the GNX to this. Not that I don’t like it, but what a change up.
I would have taken the GNX in 88 and I still would today. The Reatta was typical GM half-assedness. Great styling, parts bin interior, great seats, great engine(that only got better) shitty transmission(no manual option either), and FWD instead of RWD. Like so much GM the last 40 years or so there was so much potential left on the table.
Been waiting so long for this review. Love this quirky car
The Oldsmobile Trofeo from the same era was ahead of it's time also.
I always thought the Trofeo looked like the other Gm cars just elongated
A technological tour de force of its time 👍🏽
Owned a 88 back in the 90's. The gals loved it ! Lol
Great feature. These little things on this platform were neat for the time.
I really liked this car when it came out. Didn't even have my license. One of those ahead of its time designs.
Buick's first & only 2-seater!!!!! One of my all-time favorite late'80's cars which was built by a manufacturer not normally known for building these kinds of cars, Buick............yes, BUICK!!!!!! The same GM division which built my grandparents' LeSabres decided to have a little fun, & from (calendar year) 1987-1991, they produced THIS little number, the Buick Reatta. Based on the Riviera, it shared that car's interior & drivetrains.
Holy shit a touch screen in 1988???? I didn’t even know that was a freakin thing
I want one so bad. It would look amazing next to my Roadmaster
4:09. half the coil packs..that sweet 3800
No. That’s all of them. All three.
It was a waste spark ignition system. The other spark was on a cylinder on the exhaust stroke.
Allowed for electronic ignition without the anachronism of a mechanical distributor like most Japanese cars had for the next ten years… or the expense, complexity, and bulk of a coil on plug ignition system.
This has to be the blueprint for cars today…Amazing !
This was my dream car back in the day!
Having read an article in Collectible Automobile on this car, I can tell you that it was not what anyone had hoped for. It turned out that the Reatta had an identity crisis, unable to establish itself as whatever it may have been intended to be. It certainly wasn't "your dad's" Buick...but nor was it your mom's, nor really a car for many sons or daughters. So what was it? A slalom-searing missile-on-wheels like the Corvette? Not with V-6 power and FWD with its corresponding crushing understeer. A simple fun sports machine like the Mazda Miata? Not with power-everything and an average $30G price tag. A luxury tourer then, like the Cadillac Allanté or Mercedes SL or Lincoln Mark VII? Close...but even faithful Flint fanatics have to concede that the trademark tri-shield does not carry the same level of prestige as the wreath-and-crest, let alone the three- or four-pointed star. Automotive history has shown consistently that cars with confused identities don't last long, and sure enough the Reatta was gone by May 25, 1991, despite some improvements such as proper gauges and switches to replace the distracting digital displays (which ironically made a comeback of sorts 30 years later).
That said, before I draw any vitriol from fans of this car, I need to say that I always really liked the looks of the Reatta from the beginning. I have to disagree with the reviewers of Motorweek regarding their criticism of the rear deck, which I thought absolutely excellent. A car with its rear wheels set behind the C-pillar base just has character to it. That access hatch in the cab to the trunk has an extra benefit as well, besides carrying a bag of golf clubs: If for any reason the trunk latch breaks, making it impossible to open it normally, one can still access the trunk and the broken latch through that access hatch. I cannot say that about a contemporary Audi Series-80 I owned in Germany, which suffered just that malfunction, forcing destruction of one of the rear panels to get into the trunk to fix the broken latch.
I always thought the Reatta was one of the finest-looking small cars I've ever seen, and to this day I would not mind at all owning a copy of it. I would, however, prefer the hardtop coupe; the 'vert, however rare and thus novel, has one deficiency: It has no power-assist to it...which isn't too much of a problem for a car this small, but on the other hand is rather crude for a car that was fitted with power-everything-else.
I have been waiting for this one. So computerized and futuristic at the time
That 3800 sounds sweet, almost like a V8!
Loved that car!! I had a1990 model ..
Good handeling and fun to drive!
I lusted after the Reatta (and the Trofeo) back then and I still do. Reatta seems to have aged well, except for the touchscreen and digital dash obviously. The 1990 refreshed interior would be my choice.
Happy Halloween from Motorweek 👻🎃
and what relationship do you have with MotorWeek?
I’m not sure
So is the Reatta a trick or a treat? I can't tell ;)
@@dimaslopez-dejesus2371 oh you made it sound like you were saying Happy Halloween as if you worked for MotorWeek lol
With the Century coupe, Regal, Riviera, and Reatta there was just so much model overlap. It must have been a real job to be a product planner at Buick back then.
I’m a fan of this car. Especially the convertible. Nice luxurious cruiser.
I wish the Buick Reatta have a stick shift transmission as an option.
Pop up healight AND touch screen , that car was perfect
....and that same shifter knob that was on every GM car - from Cavalier to Corvette - for 20 years.
I always loved gm cars like these. They were the cars of my high school years, all the guys that didn't have rich parents bought cars like this and we all put subs in them and just cruised around. We beat the shit out of them and they just kept going. I remember how scary it was when your walking at night to catch the bus or something and a old Buick comes creeping down the street with blacked out windows and then slows right down beside you.
I think had this car been rear wheel drive, and been equipped with the L67 (assuming it could be made to fit under the low, sloping hood) in it's final year, it might've been better received.
then it would have taken sales from camaro so the gm people wouldnt allow it
I want this car back.
Great work thanks
About bought one of these in the 90’s to commute to work. Ended up with a Mustang instead, but still wouldn’t mind having one.
I'd still love to have one of these.
TOTALLY AWESOME!!! PERFECT CAR FOR UPGRADES!!!! PERFECT FOR AUTO CROSSING!!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!
This thing would be amazing with a manual
Looks like a cross between a Volvo 480ES & Mazda RX7 & I agree that rear wheel placement looks a bit awkward. I love that digital dash, that's a proper 80s fest!
"One of the most anticipated new cars to come out of Detroit in a long time." Too bad it never really caught on, dare I saw almost forgotten, though in all fairness, it was meant to be a low production car. Two seat models and sports coupes with daring styling... yeah those were the 1980s for sure! That touch screen was way ahead of its time! (as were many of the other features).
Was a shame GM didn't use the supercharged version of this engine in more cars, I think it would have helped sales alot since these and the Oldsmobile Toronado's seemed more befitting of them than the Buick Park Ave's and Olds Eighty Eight's that GM gave them to for some reason.
@@Stressless2023 Yes, that would have been a good choice. I always liked the supercharged Buick Park Avenue Ultra, especially unassuming beige. A real sleeper for the time. I think a supercharged Reatta would have been good, give it some performance to go with the sporty looks and coupe body style.
It was too overpriced to ever be successful.
The car was designed by the Cadillac team, built in a Oldsmobile (Lansing) plant and branded as a Buick. It was built in the first completely automated plant that didn't use an assembly line. The car was moved from place to place on robotic lifts. It was a first assembly plant of it's kind, at the time. The Reatta was a dud for many reasons including the target demographic(wealthy female who golfs) leaking convertible roof, paint flaking off for no reason and poor quality build. I saw first hand how management and union workers had differing priorities for building cars. Quite the eye opener for someone just out of college. I could be impartial since my role was as an outside (EDS) computer tech.
My friend owns one. Its very comfortable, but slow and soft. Its no sports coupe, its more like a two door Cadillac. Looks cool, drives like a sloth, but again, super comfortable for cruising
This is a better review and in shorter time than Doug Demuro
The brake accumulator from the Reatta fits perfectly in my XJ40. Saved me a bunch.
If you had an XJ12 it would also have a GM transmission.
Jag, BMW, even Rolls Royce simply did not have the experience with making automatic transmissions for such powerful engines. Only Mercedes with its heavy truck and SUV experience could make them all in-house.
I always loved these cars, but the crickets chirping in the background pretty much sums up their performance.
that dash is so cyberpunk
Seen in Hot Rod Magazine some guy made it rear drive with GNX Engine in it
I saw a test car Reatta on the Las Vegas strip in 1987. It was loaded with test gauges on the dash.
We had a 6 Caravan and a 88 Cadillac, plus I believe my old 94 Jimmy, that had six-way seat adjustment. Should be standard since then.
The most interesting part of these Video's to me is the high number of Cars that have been virtually phased out of existence. I was Born in 86, and the number of Cars that had I idea existed is kinda shocking..
"Brisk 9 seconds"...how times have changed.
25k back then is 55K today! Jeez that car was expensive!
I owned an 1988 Red like the one shown, I Really liked it. My only complaint was the engine didn't have much torque. Driving to Santa Cruz through some hills it constantly had to down shift.
The convertible is a gorgeous car, doesn't have that awkward rear pillar section they mention here. Good ones are cheap too as the car is so unknown, I think it may be a fuiture classic.
A mile down the road there is a blue one of these just sitting in a yard for years. Not a fan but it's old and kinda interesting.
Buy it, a classic and the prices are already going up!
A Grand little automobile, wasn't built for the masses but I love it though ❤.😅
Body has aged well, but man, that dash...
I always loved the styling of this car. I always found it to be smooth and timeless. I seems a shame that this car never got a hot engine. It deserved it. I always wondered what it would've done if it had been released during the time of the Supercharged 3800 series 2. And lastly, why was it that manufacturers of the day (like all of them) seemed to treat foglights like an afterthought? They always seemed poorly integrated and tacked on, like they all sourced JC Whitney to handle the fogs.
I saw that car in a showroom in Chevy dealer couple weeks ago. it was low mileage and I never seen that kind of car before in my life.