What direction is the price of Reattas going?

[Ronnie]

Here is what we know but it doesn't give a clear picture about where the price of Reattas is going.

 

*The price of Reattas offered for sale seems to be going up, especially for convertibles. (Who knows what they are actually selling for.)

*The number of Reattas for sale seems to be at an all time high. They seem to be for sale everywhere.

*Interest in the low mileage Reattas seems to be high. It looks like collectors are now showing interest in Reattas and are willing to pay good money to get a nice one. Does that help or hurt the price of high mileage Reattas?

*Replacement parts are getting harder to find. Even good used parts are hard to find if you are looking for the ones that have been discontinued for a while.

*Parts are being discontinued at a rate higher than I've ever seen. Every time you turn around you hear about another part that has been dropped. I expect that is a trend that is going to get worse. As Dave pointe out, buying remanufactured parts is getting to be hit or miss for getting a good one. Yes, if you get a bad one they will replace it or refund your money, but in my experience they don't cover the cost of labor for removal and installation of a replacement which can be expensive of you have to pay someone to do it.

 

I once considered getting a really nice '90 or '91 model because I like the looks of the dash. Looks like I've waited too long to get a lower mileage one at a good price.

[Top Down]

I think that social media is helping to spread the word about a previously unknown car called the Reatta.   There seem to be several forums devoted to the Reatta so more young folks are seeing it for the 1st time.   It also seems that these young folks are inclined to test the water and buy "affordable" Reattas with the expectation of repairing and enjoying them.   Of course, repairing the Reatta is underestimated and may be a reason so many Reattas are appearing for sale as they are not held on and are re-sold..............high churn rate?   

 

Regarding convertibles, I own one because it has "the look."   I used to have a Buick Cascada convertible which was a really nice car, but who wants a 4 seater with an automatic top.........    Currently the other hot selling convertible is the mid year (63-67) Corvette, and guess what, the Reatta is somewhat similar in look.   Also, the supply vs demand factor exists for convertibles in general as almost everything new is a SUV.

[Edsel-to-Reatta]

I admired Reattas from when they were new, but was turned off by the high sticker price for a 6 cylinder Buick 2-seater. I'm a collector of 1950's-60's American cars, so I decided to wait my turn for a Reatta when they became more affordable. I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago and bought a nice 1990 Select 60. Much as I love the styling and comfort, my Reatta journey got off to a rough start, with stumbling performance problems. That seems to be resolved now, thanks to tips from Reatta experts. I enjoyed a perfect 2 hour freeway test drive yesterday, and love how the car feels at freeway speeds. Then I got home and saw steam coming from the drivers front corner of the hood, and a coolant puddle on the driveway. The radiator and thermostat had been replaced by the previous owner, and the car wasn't overheating. Turns out this was a simple issue: the 33 year old upper radiator hose had sprung a leak, so I'm replacing both radiator hoses. This type of maintenance is to be expected on any older car. I will also be replacing all 5 brake hoses when I replace the Teves accumulator which is only good for one pedal press before the pump runs. I can deal with that too, and a fuel filter change. These are expected catch-up items I can easily DIY, just as I have on my much less complex 1950's cars for 4 decades.

 

More daunting will be the intermittent instrument cluster. Sometimes it lights up when the key is turned on, and sometimes it doesn't. Simultaneously, when the cluster doesn't light, the backlights on the climate control and stereo buttons don't light. I assume power is fed by the BCM, so I might need to replace that. I contacted Cluster Fix to get their opinion. Perhaps the climate control and stereo button backlights get power from the cluster, such that when the cluster doesn't light up, neither do the backlights? This could potentially a complicated problem, hopefully not beyond my skills and toolset.

 

It's a good thing I'm handy and can do much DIY myself. But Reattas are complex cars, especially the electronics, sensors, etc. If someone needs to spend money in a reapir shop to get these problems resolved at $100+ per hour, it could be a big turnoff. It would be easy to sink more money in the car than it's worth, have a never ending quagmire of problems. And if issues don't let up, and crucial parts are no longer available, owning a Reatta will just not make sense for many collectors. Of course they look nice on display in the garage, but owners have a right to expect their cars will provide some semblance of trouble-free motoring.

 

So far, I'm enjoying my Reatta. But I need to catch a break from problems so I can appreciate what a sweet ride it is. Others in my shoes who are less handy might just say forget it, and resell their newly purchased Reatta sooner than intended. High churn will be the result.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Edsel-to-Reatta

[Ohjai]

Real sales data for 16 Reattas can be found on the Bring a Trailer website  https://bringatrailer.com/search/?s=reattaplus I added the two 91s that I purchased.

 

Buick Reatta Selling Price from Bring-Trailer
	By Year					By Date						By Price
Year	Hard	Miles	Sell price	Sell date		Year	Hard	Miles	Sell price	Sell date		Year	Hard	Miles	Sell price	Sell date
1988	Hard		$5,500	4/20/2023		1989	Hard		$5,500	4/24/2020		1989	Hard		$5,500	4/24/2020
1989	Hard		$5,500	4/24/2020		1991	Hard	27,000	$11,100	6/1/2021		1991	Hard	78,000	$5,500	3/28/2023
1990	Hard	43,000	$6,450	6/13/2023		1990	Hard		$5,800	5/29/2022		1988	Hard		$5,500	4/20/2023
1990	Hard		$9,100	11/5/2022		1990	Hard		$9,100	11/5/2022		1990	Hard		$5,800	5/29/2022
1990	Hard		$5,800	5/29/2022		1991	Hard	2,700	$24,500	1/23/2023		1990	Hard	43,000	$6,450	6/13/2023
1991	Hard	27,000	$11,100	6/1/2021		1988	Hard		$5,500	4/20/2023		1990	Hard		$9,100	11/5/2022
1991	Hard	2,700	$24,500	1/23/2023		1991	Hard	78,000	$5,500	3/28/2023		1991	Hard	27,000	$11,100	6/1/2021
1991	Hard	78,000	$5,500	3/28/2023		1990	Hard	43,000	$6,450	6/13/2023		1991	Hard	2,700	$24,500	1/23/2023
Year	Hard	Miles	Sell price	Sell date		Year	Hard	Miles	Sell price	Sell date		Year	Hard	Miles	Sell price	Sell date
1990	Conv	43,000	$7,900	7/27/2023		1990	Conv	not sold	$9,014	8/29/2018		1990	Conv		$6,705	5/28/2019
1990	Conv	21,000	$13,500	10/8/2022		1990	Conv		$6,705	5/28/2019		1990	Conv	43,000	$7,900	7/27/2023
1990	Conv		$11,000	8/22/2022		1990	Conv		$13,750	5/21/2021		1990	Conv	not sold	$9,014	8/29/2018
1990	Conv		$11,000	8/26/2021		1990	Conv		$11,000	8/26/2021		1990	Conv		$11,000	8/22/2022
1990	Conv		$13,750	5/21/2021		1991	Conv	23,000	$18,000	3/7/2022		1990	Conv		$11,000	8/26/2021
1990	Conv		$6,705	5/28/2019		1990	Conv		$11,000	8/22/2022		1990	Conv	21,000	$13,500	10/8/2022
1990	Conv	not sold	$9,014	8/29/2018		1990	Conv	21,000	$13,500	10/8/2022		1990	Conv		$13,750	5/21/2021
1991	Conv		$13,750	10/22/2022		1991	Conv		$13,750	10/22/2022		1991	Conv		$13,750	10/22/2022
1991	Conv	23,000	$18,000	3/7/2022		1991	Conv	17,500	$15,000	5/28/2023		1991	Conv	17,500	$15,000	5/28/2023
1991	Conv	17,500	$15,000	5/28/2023		1990	Conv	43,000	$7,900	7/27/2023		1991	Conv	23,000	$18,000	3/7/2022

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Ohjai

[Ronnie]

Thanks for posting the data. I'm not sure what to make of it other than the nice low mileage ones bring the most money as one would expect.

 

The one you posted earlier on Bring A Trailer sold for a little less money than I expected with just 43k but it didn't have the correct wheels and it didn't look like a car with such low mileage. What did  you think of the selling price?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-buick-reatta-38/

[Nailhed66]

Whoever bought the ’90 convertible got a sweet deal even with auction fees as it came with a couple grand worth of spare parts. There were only two people bidding on it near the end.  Bottom line is that  average Reattas in decent condition are worth 5-8,000. Those super low mileage cars are outliers. Much like Jaguars from the same time period, values are lower than they probably should be due to a reputation of having complicated problems. I  expect prices to remain about the same for awhile as there’s lots of supply and low demand.

[alec2538]

I paid $800 for my 94k mile '91 6 months ago, California car with ZERO rust. Yes: the paint on the upper panels is faded and cracked. Yes: the interior was filthy. Yes: it had been sitting for 3 years. However, it fired up immediately and the car drove absolutely perfect.

 

Since purchase, it's gotten the following:

 

New OPS

New rear struts

New tires

New starter

Wiring splice repair under seats w/complete interior detail

Serpentine belt

All exterior lightbulbs

 

There's still work to be done: A/C compressor, block frost plug is leaking, more body work etc. however I STRONGLY believe that I could get $4k for it now. Not that it matters, I'm never selling. In fact, I'm hunting for a cheap parts car I can hide in the backyard.