Original Owners ???

[Top Down]

I wonder how many of us are original owners?   In my case, I bought my red '89 in 1994 and my silver '90 this year.   My '89 was originally a lease car for 3 years and then purchased by another couple.   After 1 year I purchased it with approx. 44k miles and it has been with me for the next 28 years.   After looking years for a local convertible, I finally found one this year.   As it turned out the seller had 2 convertibles, one with 74k miles and another with 140k miles.   It was a easy choice and I took the silver one but the gray convertible was tempting as it is a scarce color.   The seller was 91 years old and hated to part with his baby but it was time...................

[Nailhed66]

My ‘88 was with the original owner for 32 years and they had put only 56,000 miles on the car. I became the second person to register/title the car in 2000. I’ve owned my ‘66 Skylark GS convertible for over 22 years and it currently has 51,000 miles, so I can relate to long term ownership. I was 24 years old when the Reatta came out and while I thought it was good design,it wasn’t on my mind to buy one until years later.

[2seater]

Mine is a little murky on the beginnings. It has been many years but I believe the previous owner prior to me stated it came from Michigan and I vaguely remember something about it being a pool car. It is a no option ‘90, ironically I purchased it in March of ‘94 at a Saturn dealership. Miles at that time were 59k and I contacted the previous owner from info. from the dealership. The guy was a salesman that covered a route from one side of the state to the other, the highway having lots of truck traffic so stone chips were very prevalent. The IPC failed while out on a test drive. Presently at 148k miles. Three engines in different configurations have been in and out of the engine bay. Presently supercharged.

[Padgett]

Guess am late. Bought my triple blue in 2001 (hip stared bothering me in Fiero) and still have it though is in the "occasional drive" herd. Reprogrammed a long time ago to run cool. Has 16 ways and sunroof. Had a number of convertibles since but 88 is one I kept.

[Philbo]

I am (I believe) the 4th owner of my red '90. But I plan to be the last :). I will drive and enjoy her until she falls apart.

[Ronnie]

I'm not sure what owner I am of my Reatta.

 

It was bought by a lady at a Buick/Chevrolet dealership about 40 miles from here. Then she traded it in at the same dealership for a Corvette. One of the salesman at the dealership bought it and sold to a guy I know who put it on his small used car lot near where I live. I saw it and bought it from him. The title I received has the lady's name and address on the front, and on the back of the title is the name of the dealership where she traded it in, the name of the salesman who bought it from the dealership, and the name of the small car lot where I bought it. There is no sales price listed for any of them, and no sales tax was collected. Where the mileage should be written in it only says "exempt".

 

I don't know if that makes me the second owner or the fifth. Doesn't matter when you have 135k on the clock anyway. It's a just a driver. 🙂 

[DAVES89]

The 'verts original owner was the Buick dealer in Janesville, Wi who bought it for his wife. He later sold it to a guy about 15 miles from me who later decided he would rather own an Allante. He posted it on Ebay where I saw it listed made an offer an bought it.

 The Red was bought from a guy in Fort Lauderdale who bought it from his employer after she owned it for about 1 year.

I bought the Black from a AACA forum member near Madison, Wi. wanting to get out of Reattas and have more garage space. He had purchased it from the original owner also in Madison.

 So I am the 3rd owner of all 3 of my cars [all drivers].

Edited September 21, 2022 by DAVES89

[ship]

I believe I'm the 3rd owner of my Reatta.  From what I can gather, it was originally bought by a GM employee and shipped to the GM Proving Grounds in southwest US.  A woman who lived in Mattapoisett, MA then bought it at auction in eastern PA, who eventually listed for sale in Autotrader.  I bought it from her in 2013 with 98K miles.  It now has 109K miles.  It is basically a three-season hobby/ cruise-in/travel-to-car-show car for me.

[alchemist]

My 1990 Convertible was bought in 1991 by my father with about 8k miles.  Now has 25k and technically (due to inheritance laws) I am the second owner.  Unfortunately, with these vehicles, the original owners are not exactly 'current and accounted for'.

 

[Top Down]

It would appear that of the 82 views of this thread, we do not have an original owner of a Reatta.   There were several 2nd and 3rd owners but no original owner.   This is not surprising as the Reatta came out 34 years ago and was marketed at folks who had a nice disposable income which usually starts to materialize in the 45 to 60 age bracket.  Nevertheless, owning a Reatta at any age is a blast !!!    

[Ron Walker]

I'm either the 3rd or 4th owner, but not sure. Looked at the title just now, which I thought might give me an indication of the number of prior owners, but apparently not so. Purchased mine in 1996 with 66K miles, and have had for the past 26 years, and now a little over 132K miles. 

I agree with Top Down. Similar story with the current muscle cars - see lots on the used car market, especially the Camaro and Challenger. Original owners found out how impractical they were and unloaded them. The 2nd and 3rd buyers, like the Reatta, were people who had more of a fondness of the vehicle and cared less about practicality, and who retain ownership for an extended time.

[Padgett]

I find it a lot more practical than the Fieros I had before. Has past two decades here now and not going anywhere else.

[Ron Walker]

My son had a Fiero so I know the practicality doesn't even compare to the Reatta. I find the Reatta, in my empty nest situation, to be actually reasonably functional. Plus my mother-in-law doesn't fit in the "back seat."