1988 Buick Reatta 2 Seater Gray on Gray Very Nice Condition! Lots of Extras!

1988 Buick Reatta Description

Please Message, Call or Text me for a link to my Photobucket account of over 190 Hi-Res Pictures of this car and the parts, paperwork, etc.
Firstly, I know I am going to lose my rear on this car. I know I will never recoup the amount of money I have put into it. Someone is going to get a really really nice running and driving Reatta for a steal!
I originally bought this car to drive back and forth to work and enjoy it, not for the investment, but the winds of change have blown in and unfortunately I need to part with it. Ebay will not let me post a link in the description to my Photobucket account, so be sure and message, call or text me to get the link and be sure and look at every picture before bidding. I took a ton of pics to try to get every inch of this car so you can see exactly what your bidding on. You are also more than welcome to call me anytime and, or, come by and see the car in person. Theres not going to be much that I can't tell you about the current condition of the car and its maintenance.
Engine and Drive train:
I bought this car late summer last year. The only issues it had was the transmission would bang into reverse, it needed a fuel pump as the pressure was getting weak, it was in need of new subframe bushings, and there was a oil leak from the intake gasket valley. I have fixed all of these things, and a whole lot more new parts (have all receipts). I have a factory service manual that willgo with this car and I havedone all the maintenance onit since owning it except for the overhauling of the transmission and the 4 wheel alignment and rear spindle shims when it got the alignment (have all receipts)

I completely removed the engine and transmission and took the transmission to a repair/rebuild trans specialty place in St. Louis. They completely overhauled the entire transmission,and also addedall the upgrades and improvements to the 440-t4 transmission. It is still under its one year complete warranty and I have the receipts. The transmission now shifts into reverse so smoothly you can't even feel it. All other shifts are also like a brand new car.

While the transmission was out I completely re-sealed the engine with all new gaskets except for the timing cover gasket and head gaskets. This car has zero leaks of any kind. I keep this car garaged and my garage floor is super clean. If I where to park the car for a couple weeks and drive my other one for awhile (as I sometimes do), when I start it and back it out, the floor is bone dry. I also installed several other new parts to the engine while it was out. New roller lifters, plugs, wires, thermostat, cleaned throttle body, new fuel injectors, updated to the better series 2 3800 coil pack and ignition module,installed all new transmission mounts, engine mounts, and all new subframe mounts, all new coolant and heater hoses. There are also some other things I'm probably forgetting, but as I remember them, I will update the auction. The car had a new battery installed a couple days before I bought it last year.

This car starts quick and smooth. When you come to start this car for the first time, you will start it cold to see that it does not blow out a puff of smoke on cold start up. It does notburn oil except for what would be considered normal for oil consumption on a series one 3800. I have always put mobil 1 5w30 in this car and change it every 5000 miles since I am only putting highway miles on it. It will use about a half of a quart in 5000 miles, and for this engine, and its miles, that is considered very good.

This car starts, runs, drives, very very nice and smooth. No hesitation or hiccups. and runs nice and strong in the higher rev range. I think the exhaust is original, but not sure. It has discolored quite a bit, and probably may need to be replaced in the next couple years. However, it is not cracked or broken anywhere, and all the hangars are nice and strong. I replaced the center Oring hangar with a new one to keep everything nice and tight. I do not hear any exhaust leaks, it is still nice and quiet, and has a nice little rumble at idle, which I really like. There is a small hole in the muffler, as it will condensate after start up if the car hasn't been started in awhile, but again, you can't hear it.

There are no check engine lights that need to be addressed. All fluids and filters have been changed recently. Air filter and I changed the oil and filter 2 days before listing this auction with Mobil 1 5w30, so you are good to go. The antifreeze has been completely changed out over the winter. The Power steering fluid and was completely purged and replaced literally a day ago when I installed a brand new power steering pump (was starting to whine, and again, have receipt), brake system was also flushed a couple months ago. I also installed brand new front wheel hubs and cv axles when I had the engine and trans out (have receipts). I have not done any maintenance to the rearspindles or brakes, nor the front brakes exceptadjusting the abs sensors when reinstalling the engine and trans.

I installed a brand new fuel pump and fuel filter right after I bought it (have receipt). The fuel tank is super clean, inside and out. This car was really nice to work on underneath as it is so clean and rust-free (see pics)

The ac was converted to 134 before I bought it and a new compressor was installed. It does blow nice and cold, but here is something I will mention. Last fall while using the ac, a message came up on the crt screen and told me my Freon charge was getting low. Since it was fall and getting cold outside, I just unplugged the compressor so it wouldn't run during the winter (defrost), and figured I would do a leak check and top off the charge this spring. Now it is spring going on summer, I plugged the connector back into the compressor, and decided to run the ac to see if I would get the message again. I have been running the ac a lot in the past few weeks, and its been cold, with no message's.

I've never done anything with the alternator, it has been functioning fine. I have not replaced the serpentine belt, it is in nice shape with no cracks.

The wheels you see on the car in the pics are not stock. They are from a Cadillac STS. I customized the center caps with the Buick logo and as you can see they look great! I still have the original wheels and they are in great condition and they will go with the car. The original wheels also have new tires on them just before I purchased the car, and have well over 90% tread with no issues. The Cadillac rims I have installed have brand new (less than 5000 miles) tires on them and are one directional tires (have receipt) The car drives and rides down the interstate quite, smooth, and straight. The speedometer does read true with the size tires I had put on the wheels.

Interior:

I took alot of pictures of the interior and I hope they speak for them self. The interior is in remarkable shape for a higher mid mile car. No signs of being smoked in, and I am not a smoker. The car does not retain its new car smell, but does still smell nice. The only ugly thing I can come up with on the interior is that the driver seat has some discoloring in the leather on the lower bottom side section (hard to tell in pics). It does not need to be replaced, just redyed, in my opinion. There are no cracks, splits, tears anywhere on the interior that I can find. Carpet is in great shape, but there is a couple stains underneath the seat of the passenger seat. Original floor mats are also in great shape for the cars mileage and age. The headliner and sun visors are perfect! The leather steering wheel is also very very nice with no issues. All of the dash, plastic, armrest, console, etc... is in very very nice condition. I have added the cup holder in the armrest and is very convenient since there was not one offered from the factory. I have also removed the tape deck and installed a control panel for a 12 disc cd changer mounted in the trunk, and I also installed a aux port and a USB charging port that is compatible with your phone or other music playing device. All of this is very simple to operate. The 12 disc cd changer also has a remote control (see pic of console). I installed the cd changer to face the cockpit of the car instead of the rear of the car so that cd's can be loaded from the inside. The rocker switches I installed are for the alternate power assy port, aux port, and antenna signal. This way the antenna does not go up when listening to cd's, mp3 player, etc. The power antenna is the original antenna, and I have replaced the mast recently (have receipt), and it functions perfectly. The radio module was also recently replaced with a rebuilt one as the originals tend to get "statiky" after getting to be decades old. The speakers have also been upgraded to new Kickers in the rear, and Pioneers up front (have receipts). I kept the original speakers and they will go with the car.

All operations, controls, buttons, switches, etc. function as they should. Everything works: cruise, power locks, mirrors, 16 way power seats, dimmer, fog lights, remote glove box, remote fuel door, remote trunk release, wipers, wiper fluid, defrost, rear defrost, heat, all functions of the crt screen, 3rd brake light, all interior lights and exterior lights, etc.

The shifter handle you see installed is from a Cadillac, but I still have the original, it is in perfect shape and will be included. The pass side headlight motor mechanism has recently been rebuilt and they both function perfectly. I have recently installed the sylvania silverstar headlights and they are very bright. I also installed the more expensive Bosch windshield wipers. There is no cracks or chips in any of the glass.

This car also has a remote for unlocking/locking the doors and trunk and functions perfectly.

Body:

The body and paint is in remarkable condition for a car thats 28 years old and has 115,000 miles. The paint is definitely in super nice shape on the tops, compared with the lower bottoms, as you would expect from normal driving. The paint is not faded, checked, or cracked. The car did not have splash guards until I installed them. I have never found signs of a accident. You can find the usual curb stop rash on the bottom of the front spoiler if you get down on your hands and knees. I am by no means a expert when it comes to body work, but the only issues I have with the original paint is your regular chips and a handful of dings when you get close up for a inspection along the front and lower sides of the car, but no dents. I have some touch-up paint that my friend at my local body shop mixed up for me, and I have used it here and there and it looks quite nice, I will pass on the remainder of the touch-up to you. I find no rust or holes. Bring your flashlight or inspection mirrors, or you can borrow mine. I have a nice clean garage floor. We can properly lift the car and you can crawl around all under it and inspect. The doors, hood, and decklid all shut nice as they should. All the seals are in perfect shape, and the car does not leak water when it rains. When you drive the car down the interstate at 70mph, there is no wind noise! All of the body panels still retain the correct VIN stickers. In some of the pictures of the hinges on the doors and trunk, you will notice a brownish color. This is not rust, it is the color of the oil lubricant I sprayed on them to preserve them and keep them lubricated. Please look at all the pics on my pb account very very close and ask any questions that you may have concerning the body and paint. I am more than happy to take additional pics at your request.

The trunk is very nice and all the trunk carpet is there. The spare and jack shows no signs of ever being used and holds air as it should. The original factory wheel lock key is also there.

This is not a show-car, in my opinion, but would be a very good candidate for it, as it would need so little to be show-worthy.

Extras:

I'm going to be throwing in alot of extra parts for you with the car (see pics). There are the few extra's that came off the car such as; the original wheels and lug nuts, plastic piece for top of engine manifold (see pics), original tape deck, speakers, shift handle, original owners manual and paperwork.

There is also alot of spare parts that I have gathered up when I made a trip to the salvage yard that will go with the car. (see pics) Alot of good parts there, stuff like throttle body, sensors, etc. I even have a complete with all assy's and wiring harness 3800 engine from a 89 Reatta that I will throw in for a extra hundred dollars. It is covered in plastic and sitting on a engine stand (see pics).

Negatives:

Here are the negatives I can come up with on the car.

1. That faded place in the leather of the lower drivers seat I mentioned. Again, its not really noticeable and is easily fixable, I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

2. The front of the car's black belt-line molding. It could use a repaint, in my opinion. Its not really that noticeable, but it has enough chips in it that it would look much better if it was taped off, sanded and repainted with just some rattle-can gloss black spray paint. Again, something I hadn't gotten around to yet. (look closely at the pics)

3. Sometimes when it rains, you can see a little bit of condensation inside the rear tail light. As soon as the sun comes out, it goes away. A re-seal with some silicone should take care of it, its just not bad enough for me to have messed with yet.

And thats all I can think of at the moment. This really is a very very nice reliable car, and of course, unique being it was a hand-built 2 seater Buick made for only 4 years.

The car has a free and clear title in my name. If you win this auction, you can fly in from California and drive this car home. I am that confident of its reliability. If you are going to drive the car away, you will need proof of insurance. I will not sign the title over to you if you do not have insurance on it. If you are trailering it away, I will not require insurance.

Reserve is $4,500.

A $100 paypal deposit is required within 24 hours of auction end. Complete payment in cash and pickup is required within 7 days of auction end.

I am sure I am forgetting things to add, so if you bid on this car, please check the auction frequently to see any updates I may add.

This car is now officially parked in my garage and won't be drove anymore now that I have listed it for sale here on ebay. I will do a approximately 5 mile trip with it the day before the new owner arrives to make sure everything is good to go.

Feel free to call or text me anytime at 3146067849 with any questions or a link to my pb account with 190 pictures!

Thanks for looking and reading!