Today, on a very special episode of Nice Price or No Dice, we look at not one but two Buick Reatta coupes that someone could buy as a bundle. Let’s see if their as-a-package price could also save a bundle.
Showing what a change a day and a car can make, the vote on yesterday’s 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400 E was almost a 180° reversal from the drubbing received by Monday’s Scion iQ which fell in a massive No Dice loss. At just $1,000 and despite what the ad said was an intermittent engine misfire, Tuesday’s Mercedes earned an overwhelming 88 percent Nice Price win.
There’s this old joke about a contest where the first prize is one of some item and the second prize is two of the very same item. The gist of the joke is that the item in question isn’t all that desirable. A hackneyed insult of this nature could easily be applied to any number of late ’80s/early ’90s automobiles since there sure were a lot of them back then. Most manufacturers these days have pared down their product lines to two or three identical-looking SUV/Crossover things, but back in the day, car companies really tried to spackle in every niche they could find.
That led to General Motors building a series of specialty coupes that were one rung up the ladder from all of their existing specialty coupes, something that made sense to someone at the time. The Cadillac Allante, Oldsmobile Toronado Troféo and Buick Reatta all shared similar underpinnings and were fancier versions of the larger and often cheaper Eldorado, Toronado and Riviera. You can imagine that as they were less capacious and far more expensive than their progenitors, none of the extra special specialty coupes proved to be particularly successful. In fact, over the course of its short, four-year model run, only about 22,000 Buick Reattas were ever sold.
That’s a reasonably small number but it has still led to us having the opportunity to consider an ad for not just one Buick Reatta, but two. Now, to be fair, the seller will split up the dynamic duo, but why do that when you can get both while saving five Benjamins at the same time?
There’s a blue car with decent enough looking paint and a silver car that is shedding its clear coat like a lizard sloughs off last year’s skin. Both have what look to be straight bodywork and the silver car has the added benefit of a sunroof if you’re into that.
In the ad, the seller positions the cars both as 1990 models, but based on the interiors only one actually appears to be from that penultimate model year
The silver Reatta looks to be an earlier car with the in-dash computer and a handsome R-series three-spoke wheel. The blue car is likely a 1990 model as evidenced by the redesigned dash and airbag in the wheel. You get fancier seats in the earlier car too, although both cars appear to be upholstered in leather, and that seems to have held up ok over the years.
A more interesting question is whether the touch screen in the dash of the silver car is still functioning. That’s probably the car’s coolest feature and is a known weak point on the model. Less interesting but probably more usable, the blue car’s more plebeian dash probably still works just fine. Its rearview mirror, however, seems to have decided to have a trial separation from the windshield.
Each of the cars is powered by a 168 horsepower edition of GM’s corporate V6, the 3800 LN3. That’s mated to a 440T-4 four-speed automatic which in turn drives the front wheels. One of the cars — let’s assume it’s the blue one — has done 89,000 miles and the condition of both is pegged in the ad as “fair.” The titles on the cars are apparently clean and the seller says that each is just a fresh battery away from starting and running.
Of course, any new owner would want to do new fluids and tires and maybe wave one of those burning potpourri things over the cars to exorcise any errant demons. Also, the blue car appears to be wearing 2018 registration tags so questions should be asked about back registration and emissions tests.
To make these Reatta twins yours would cost $3,500. Or, you could choose to buy just one for $2,000. I can’t imagine why anyone would pass up the pair, however, so that’s what we’re going with today.
What’s your take on this pair and that $3,500 asking? Does that seem like a fair deal for a two-trip purchase? Or, are these Reattas (Reatti?) just too much trouble?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
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