15th May 2007, 14:00
I have a 89 Reatta and would not give it up for a newer year. When I first told my freinds I have a factory installed touch screen in my 89 car they flipped. It is a great thing when people see a Reatta for the first time and say "That's a Buick?"
30th Oct 2008, 09:42
I have a 1987 Reatta with touchscreen (no problems) and only 67,000 miles. We have a mysterious glitch: Once every month or so, the car will not start. The engine will start but not turn over, so it is not the battery which runs at a consistent 12-13 volts. We put it into neutral and roll it out of the garage, try it again, and it starts! Runs fine for a month and then same thing.The dealer has never figured it out. Any suggestions or like problems reported thanks! I'll look here for the info.
3rd Jan 2009, 15:53
My 1988 Reatta was having similar problems and "jiggling" the battery cables made the car start and it made me wonder... I am going to replace the cables and screws holding the cable into the front of the battery as they were not properly making a connection! Perhaps my black cable is also kinked... Ya think it might make a difference!
I would get no start at all and then suddenly I would turn the key and nothing would be wrong!
Carchick.
29th Apr 2010, 10:38
I just purchased my second Buick Reatta. It's a 1988 with only 47,000 miles. It is by far my favorite car!! Comfortable, sporty, classy, heavy duty, and just a pleasure to drive!!! Everyone that sees it or rides in it falls in love with it.
15th Dec 2010, 12:58
I own an 88 Reatta and have a touch and go touch screen (CRT). If I bang on the dash it will come to life (sometimes). I know the CRT is bad and will have to be rebuilt.
If you are experiencing other electrical problems in addition to the CRT not working there is a good chance it is your central power supply. This is a unit under the dash near the brake pedal that basically supplies power for all the amenities and electronics. This unit is actually still available rebuilt in the aftermarket (I know Cardone offers a rebuilt one, not sure about other sources).
I had a 1990 Reatta that was T-boned by a 2 seater Benz (go figure) before I sent it to the boneyard I stripped anything worth while off it, including the central power supply and the part number on that is the same as the 88, so you could try a junk yard too.
Basically if you can bang on the dash on top of the CRT and it comes to life, then it is most likely a bad CRT.
22nd Aug 2011, 23:06
I just purchased a 1989 Reatta & absolutely love it. It has 64,340 miles. The only problem I have is the cassette player is torn up. Where would I find a replacement or someone who repairs these units. The player is a must. Can anyone help. My e-mail address is shafferbn@charter.net. HELP!!
18th Mar 2012, 23:45
Hey to my Reatta friend.
My name is Jerry, and I came into possession of a Reatta, 1989 coupe, Red.
Love the car, but didn't know what I had, and how rare it was. I've been having problems with the CRT screen going on and off, and it seems to affect everything. Gas gauge is inaccurate, the car starts and sometimes is at high RPM, and sometimes normal... The screen will come on and then go off. Constant warnings of gas low.. but I just filled it up... The engine needs attention, but all the fluids are okay... All of which I feel is the CRT unit.
Any suggestions who I should take it to so they can pull it and get a new rebuilt? Love the car... rides like a Porsche and is soooo damn comfortable... just need to solve this electrical issue.
Thanks, Jerry Sinkey, 530-368-1048 Newcastle, Californian.
5th Sep 2012, 12:51
Buick Reatta's were only made from 1988 to 1991.
How do you have a 1997 Reatta???
25th Jul 2016, 21:55
Hello, I have a 1988 Buick Reatta with only a 100,000 miles on it. I just recently had it at the mechanic to repair the steering column after having a new ignition switch put in. Just a few days after the car was at the mechanic, it stopped in traffic and I had to have the car towed home. Being that it's a rare car, I'll have the engine rebuilt if need be, but it would be nice to know what the problem is. Prior to the car stopping in traffic, the oil pressure light would come on then off.
20th Feb 2007, 14:15
They did away with the touch screen for the 1990 model year because of issues it was having. I think the touch-screen was much more innovative, but probably not as effective and long-lasting as standard buttons. The biggest thing that wasn't engineered in this car is the fact it is front-wheel drive, any sports coupe/roadster should be rear-wheel drive, esp. the Reatta.