The Buick Reatta is one of those vehicles with seemingly unlimited potential that simply never materialized. And while some may consider that a failure, it’s hard not to celebrate a vehicle that aimed for the stars and fell short. From a purely financial perspective, the Reatta was a massive failure, and if you’re a financial professional, that’s where it stops for you. But from a visionary standpoint, a handbuilt, luxurious two-door with captivating styling and decent performance was a car worth striving for – even with the Cadillac Allante sitting in showrooms across the street. The seller of this package deal of four Reattas from each production year listed here on craigslist is asking $5,000 for all of them, but will sell them individually if desired.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find. What’s curious about the Reatta is that there’s a very loyal following for these cars. You don’t have to look to the far corners of the internet to find them, either. If you spend any time at a salvage yard with a Reatta in it, you’re likely to bump into someone who is pillaging parts for the car they have at home. And on top of that, the parts for these cars have crept up in value to a very meaningful level, and the seller is not incorrect in stating that $1,000 for a windshield is the going rate. The “Electronic Control Center” touchscreen in the center stack also commands a fair price (if it works). The Reatta may not be worth much as a running, driving specimen, but for the people still collecting them, the parts are a gold mine.
The seller states that each of his cars does run and drive, with just a few minor issues. The Reatta was born of a complicated assembly process but it is not a complex car on its own; power comes from GM’s familiar 3.8L V6, but if that’s too ho-hum for you, the seller is including a 4.0L V8 from an Oldsmobile Aurora for one hell of an engine swap. The truth is, no one really needs four Reattas unless they’re in the business of parting them out for a profitable but slow-burning business as you wait for the occasional buyer to show up who’s willing to buy a windshield in person. When it comes to buying in bulk, it almost always ends up this way – a final shot to sell the entire thing in one lot, because selling it off piece-by-piece isn’t as easy as it sounds. Do you think the seller will find a home for all four of these Reattas with one buyer?
Hmmm…four of the same car, all in the same color. I guess it’s just another variation of an affliction many of us here suffer from.
It’s a rarely seen harmless fetish..only for red Riattas. Obviously the seller has seen a counselor and has been cured.
Owned one from all years in various colors at various times in hardtops and convertibles, solid cars with gremlins, especially the dash/gauge clusters. However, reliable drive trains and fun to drive. GLWA!
Which do you consider best?
I was able to save the original backlit Reatta sign from our Chicago dealership showroom as the building was under demolition in 1993.
I later sold it to the guy who had the largest collection of Reattas and parts at the time in 2010. I think he since passed away.
The sign was the same red coupe as pictured.
I have a photo, but no way to link it here.
The only problem the Riatta had was sales. It was a decent enough car, looked good and drove well. The reason it didn’t sell in acceptable numbers? It’s a two seater, and those only appeal to a narrow scope at least here in the USA. Plus the fact you had other makers also marketing two seaters and many were better (Mercedes SLK for instance, and was also a convertible). The Riatta needed to be more than good, it had to be exceptional which it wasn’t. Imagine if the car had come with a V8 like the Roadmaster did in the mid 90s, or better yet, a Corvette drive train. It might have been an instant classic. Other potential classics that never were, but could have been if the manufacturers actually tried, were the Prowler, the last T-Bird and especially the SSR.