actually many people hated them. Plus, the cost to replace them was around $2000 (BIG money back then and now). I was around 15 when these came out and I was enthralled with them, so I bought myself a 1988 a year ago.
The CRT warm up sequence when touching the door felt especially scifi to me for some reason. Just imagine that the show Knight Rider was on TV in 86 so for the few people who could afford this system the advances must have felt like real scifi yet somehow attainable and not as far into the future as they ended up being.
Amazing -- the mileage and fuel economy on this car are almost identical to mine! I'll let you in on a little secret. Go to the Climate screen, then hold down the OFF and WARM buttons at the same time for about 4 seconds. It'll bring up a hidden on-board diagnostics page with much more detailed status information with diagnostic codes and live data on numerous parameters from the ECM, BCM, and CRT and IPC (instrument panel cluster) controllers. This was supposed to be a screen meant for Buick service technicians to use that would be unknown to most Reatta owners and is not documented in the owner's manual; only in the service manual (a book all Reatta owners should have who want to keep their Reattas running)!
Yeah. They are pretty good cars, actually. GM over-engineered them, and despite them being hand-built in Lansing, they hold up extremely well over time. I have been told that the touchscreen usually outlasts the car. I don't remember who makes them, but they did an amazing job with it. Interestingly, my ears have a high-pitch sensitivity, and when the CRT is on and running, it emits a high-pitch tone, much like CRT televisions, and I can't spend too much time with them because I end up with a horrible headache. One reason why I haven't yet purchased a Reatta as of yet.
not only is this thing revolutionary and ahead of its time, but it even has a relatively nice, clean UI with it, same with the dashboard area, kinda similar to a prius.
This brings back memories. I had a 1986 Buick Riviera I purchased from my grandfather in 1998. I though it was the best thing ever until it broke and the dealership wanted $3,000 for a new one. I found one at a junk yard that reconditioned them for a $160. I gave him the broken monitor and her have me a fixed one. Good times. The one that came with the car did not have the 6 physical button but had all soft touch buttons. The replacement did have physical buttons. It sucked in the winter trying to turn the heat on. It had the best stereo of any car I owned that is until I got my 2018 Ridgeline
+Anthony LaFata Ooh. The unit on yours without the 6 hard buttons was early production. Only a few of the Reatta’s had them. Most of the Rivieras has that, since it was originally designed for that car.
I started my technician career at a Buick dealer back in the eighties. Worked on many Reattas and Rivieras. Replaced many of those touch screens when they were still under warranty. We were a high volume Buick dealer, so we saw a lot of cars. It remember when they first came out, it was quite a surprise to us techs. Helped with some of the available diagnostics at the time as well.
Wayyy ahead of its time. Car software today couldn’t even do as much stuff this thing did. It’s almost like a blueprint to smartphones and CarPlay with the birthday and oil change reminders, graphic EQ, diagnostics, etc. Only here cuz I seen one at a shop nearby for $3000.
I had this system in my 86 and 87 Riviera T-Type, two of the best cars I ever owned! As an electronic technician, I always found this system to be very user friendly, interesting, and one of a kind, coupled with the electroluminescent switches and legends that would light up with a 110 volt inverter behind the dash, even the turn signals would have a chime to them instead of the usual clicking, the car handled great and the seats were the best I ever sat in with the motorized thigh supports, all in all it was a wonderful car in it's time and I still find it very interesting and well-built and ahead of its time for sure.
It’s amazing how reactive they were. And how durable as well. And the ones that have stopped working can be fixed pretty cheaply by people who are restoring them. Best thing about them is no software updates, and the ergonomics and layout just work.
I remember my grandpa got a Buick in yeh 80s when he became president of a company and I thought the car was so amazing because it talked to you if you left the door open etc. I can smell the leather and feel the smooth quiet ride just by watching this video. I swear that car was a spaceship when I was a kid.
That warm up sequence on the dashboard: It manages to appear much more futuristic than any electronic system we have now. Perhaps because it looks much more serious than the tacky, sluggish feel I get from modern UIs. It says, 'this is real hardware and it is ready for the road, no matter what comes your way' It must feel like climbing into the cockpit of an X-Wing, but our modern car computers just feel like logging on to facebook. Like it is just the minimal functionality to do a job, just another crappy web page that's written by a third-rate programmer , that needs to know who I am because it wants to show me advertisements. Our culture was just in a more optimistic place back then. 2:51 - 'Time circuits on!'
I 100% agree. This is why I’ve always loved the Riviera and Reatta from this era. It was so far advanced, and the computers were incredibly expensive, but this was a time when GM experimented with everything. Even though they only lasted a couple years, it was a cool piece of automotive history.
Basically everything a Tesla Model S can do in a 1980's version, surprised this didn't catch on at the time, would have loved to have a Roadmaster or Fleetwood Brougham with a ECC
I own a white 1988 Reatta. The touch screen is very unique and cool, but sometimes impractical. When driving I keep in on gages for the tachometer. I still love the car to death and I never plan on selling it. The cars drive beautifully. The 4 speed 440T transmission is pretty smooth, and with regular fluid changes can easily do 250k+ miles. The car also was the first vehicle with the infamous Buick 3800. Makes about 165 hp but youre luck to get 150. Fun fact the original plan for this car was to be the successor of the Grand National (yes, *the* grand national) it would come with a RWD-FE turbocharged v6 and manual transmissionz I really wish they wish they did that.
Looks great, I guess work well too. Nowadays there is too much cpu/gpu power used on useless, distracting and silly animations, shadows, textures, blurs and transparencies - just to show a text box that says something...cut that crap - return to minimal!
That’s why I like this. It’s no-nonsense. It had a task, and does it flawlessly. Even by todays standards, green fluorescent display aside, it’s very modern and well laid out.
Ya know.....my 2018 Mercedes e class doesn't even have touch screen. And here's Buick, 30 some odd years earlier, knocking it out of the park. UI is 20 times better than my Mercedes as well.
No. They were Service Warning Tests. It’s what would show up IF something was wrong. It’s a check to make sure the program was running as intended. The car itself was flawless.
If you press the climate button and press off and warm at the same time it goes into a detailed engine diagnostic computer mode telling you everything. Service manuals tell you this not the owners manual
No, Tire Pressure Monitoring wasn't really established in the 80's, so, the Reatta did not have that feature. However, it would not have been out of the realm of possibility, though! GM was doing all sorts of crazy things back then!
My 1990 model year Toronado's touchscreen was much cooler than this Buick's. There was color and navigation. Unfortunately, it also had a lackluster 3.8. The transmission went out not much past 100,000 miles. I actually really liked the car, but too much of it was too special order. I think it eventually went to a crushed :(
Find out the way do you font read from clipboard while recording it. Either learn it or invest in technology. Otherwise new subscriber and if I were I would consider talking when pressing the buttons etc. Wojld be much more interactive in certain way.
I remember when this came out. it was notoriously unreliable--many used Reattas with it now are dead--the display doesn't work. They removed it later on as a response. Today we have Ford SYNC and others and the history is repeating itself--both in being unreliable, and not supported or future proof--today they're still using skeuomorphism and Windows XP based software that will not have any support 5 or so years later. Should it fail it will just signal the second coming of going back to basics just as cars in the 90s did in answer to the overdone digital dashes and talking cars of the 80s did.
It isn't unreliable nor notorious for being so.. it is 30 years old now, so any broken after even 15 years isn't really a valid complaint. Most Reatta owners have perfectly working CRTs without a rebuild. A rebuild is as little as $100. They are easily serviceable, they are aviation grade and sunlight readable. They look better in direct sunlight than any modern LCD. The software is written in Fortran4 and you will never, ever, ever see it crash due to software... ever.. People were not ready, but it worked.
This is way more reliable than todays junk! at least the car still works if it quits working lol. If I remove my infotainment system out of my Infiniti my car won’t start let alone use my climate controls.. so if my infotainment system dies I think my car has to have open heart surgery.. lol it’s sad..
This has been an expensive pain in the ass to analyze as it flickers/is blurry/not useable, in my 1988 Reatta. It's still at the dealership, being replaced X3, and still not fixed.....
I wish I knew what language it was written in. Probably Basic, but more likely C or C+. I know it used a Motorola 6800 processor. I think IBM wanted to use theirs, but not quite sure.
????? Now it "MAYBE" The Electronic Control Module....@$435.00.......=$1,600.00 (control center, headlight switch, new battery, control module & labor)...."It'll fix itself & u need a headlight controller switch", say's *Neon Classes*, Willoughby, Ohio...... STAY AWAY!!!!
Amazing honestly. I can imagine what people must have thought when they got in this car. It must've been so wow.
actually many people hated them. Plus, the cost to replace them was around $2000 (BIG money back then and now). I was around 15 when these came out and I was enthralled with them, so I bought myself a 1988 a year ago.
Man they was a head of there time on the screen.
@@sofadviolator I see why people would have hated these considering that besides the cool factor its better to just have a plain old gauge.
I was but I was a kid so...
The CRT warm up sequence when touching the door felt especially scifi to me for some reason. Just imagine that the show Knight Rider was on TV in 86 so for the few people who could afford this system the advances must have felt like real scifi yet somehow attainable and not as far into the future as they ended up being.
Amazing -- the mileage and fuel economy on this car are almost identical to mine!
I'll let you in on a little secret. Go to the Climate screen, then hold down the OFF and WARM buttons at the same time for about 4 seconds. It'll bring up a hidden on-board diagnostics page with much more detailed status information with diagnostic codes and live data on numerous parameters from the ECM, BCM, and CRT and IPC (instrument panel cluster) controllers. This was supposed to be a screen meant for Buick service technicians to use that would be unknown to most Reatta owners and is not documented in the owner's manual; only in the service manual (a book all Reatta owners should have who want to keep their Reattas running)!
*They really built technology ahead of time.*
You're telling me they put a multitouch digitizer in this thing? 30 years early?
Will give that a try when control module is installed... Thanx...
@@sac3528 "and many have paid for it"!!!!....1991 & 1992 went back to "push 🔘 button" operations.......(i.e.= $128,300.00 new in 1988)????!!!!
Im a huge car and tech guy and work valet. One came in an i was like, "is that a touchscreen!?!????" losing my mind. Car drove beautifully too.
Yeah. They are pretty good cars, actually. GM over-engineered them, and despite them being hand-built in Lansing, they hold up extremely well over time. I have been told that the touchscreen usually outlasts the car. I don't remember who makes them, but they did an amazing job with it. Interestingly, my ears have a high-pitch sensitivity, and when the CRT is on and running, it emits a high-pitch tone, much like CRT televisions, and I can't spend too much time with them because I end up with a horrible headache. One reason why I haven't yet purchased a Reatta as of yet.
@@NeighborhoodCarReviews zenith made them actually. I have an '88 and it works like a champ.
Even to this day, this is still mind blowing. That's like finding a PC from the 1980s with a touch-screen.
100% agree! I love this obscure piece of automotive history/technology! And I love that I was able to demonstrate it in depth.
Ahead of its time for sure
True true
No other buicks had them
The smartest 1980’s device
Might as well be a DeLorean 😉
not only is this thing revolutionary and ahead of its time, but it even has a relatively nice, clean UI with it, same with the dashboard area, kinda similar to a prius.
This brings back memories. I had a 1986 Buick Riviera I purchased from my grandfather in 1998. I though it was the best thing ever until it broke and the dealership wanted $3,000 for a new one. I found one at a junk yard that reconditioned them for a $160. I gave him the broken monitor and her have me a fixed one. Good times. The one that came with the car did not have the 6 physical button but had all soft touch buttons. The replacement did have physical buttons. It sucked in the winter trying to turn the heat on. It had the best stereo of any car I owned that is until I got my 2018 Ridgeline
+Anthony LaFata Ooh. The unit on yours without the 6 hard buttons was early production. Only a few of the Reatta’s had them. Most of the Rivieras has that, since it was originally designed for that car.
So good it could almost pass off as a modern system with retro theme
I have a 2020 Subaru Impreza that doesn't have all the features this does!
I started my technician career at a Buick dealer back in the eighties. Worked on many Reattas and Rivieras. Replaced many of those touch screens when they were still under warranty. We were a high volume Buick dealer, so we saw a lot of cars.
It remember when they first came out, it was quite a surprise to us techs. Helped with some of the available diagnostics at the time as well.
Wayyy ahead of its time. Car software today couldn’t even do as much stuff this thing did. It’s almost like a blueprint to smartphones and CarPlay with the birthday and oil change reminders, graphic EQ, diagnostics, etc. Only here cuz I seen one at a shop nearby for $3000.
Imagine if Buick was able to get a touchscreen onto a mobile phone
I had this system in my 86 and 87 Riviera T-Type, two of the best cars I ever owned! As an electronic technician, I always found this system to be very user friendly, interesting, and one of a kind, coupled with the electroluminescent switches and legends that would light up with a 110 volt inverter behind the dash, even the turn signals would have a chime to them instead of the usual clicking, the car handled great and the seats were the best I ever sat in with the motorized thigh supports, all in all it was a wonderful car in it's time and I still find it very interesting and well-built and ahead of its time for sure.
I cant find a graphic control center for my 1986 buick riviera. Looked every where. Help me find one please
@@sheliaingram8377 Junkyards
Today at work i got to play with one. It is actually super responsive and the touch works very well.
It’s amazing how reactive they were. And how durable as well. And the ones that have stopped working can be fixed pretty cheaply by people who are restoring them. Best thing about them is no software updates, and the ergonomics and layout just work.
I remember my grandpa got a Buick in yeh 80s when he became president of a company and I thought the car was so amazing because it talked to you if you left the door open etc. I can smell the leather and feel the smooth quiet ride just by watching this video. I swear that car was a spaceship when I was a kid.
My buddy had a Riveria back in the late 90s with this system. Was pretty crazy…super ahead of its time for sure!
That was the most beautiful display ever
Lincoln had had a similar system in 85 called comtech for the mark 7 but never made it to market. It even had steering wheel controls.
Yes. I’ve seen that in videos, but I’ve never experienced it in person. Would love to some day!
They should have put this into the Vette. Buick owners were too conservative for touchscreen.
The start up chime sounds like a brand new 2021 Buick. 😂
That warm up sequence on the dashboard: It manages to appear much more futuristic than any electronic system we have now. Perhaps because it looks much more serious than the tacky, sluggish feel I get from modern UIs. It says, 'this is real hardware and it is ready for the road, no matter what comes your way'
It must feel like climbing into the cockpit of an X-Wing, but our modern car computers just feel like logging on to facebook. Like it is just the minimal functionality to do a job, just another crappy web page that's written by a third-rate programmer , that needs to know who I am because it wants to show me advertisements.
Our culture was just in a more optimistic place back then. 2:51 - 'Time circuits on!'
I 100% agree. This is why I’ve always loved the Riviera and Reatta from this era. It was so far advanced, and the computers were incredibly expensive, but this was a time when GM experimented with everything. Even though they only lasted a couple years, it was a cool piece of automotive history.
Shame they didn't invent lower case text! 😊 I wonder what CPU they used for this?
Whoa that is some Cyberpunk material! Love it and would rather have this than those modern systems.
Yeah. I’ve always been fascinated by this screen, so I was excited to be able to cover it in depth.
@@NeighborhoodCarReviews Thank you so much for that video! I do appreciate it!
Basically everything a Tesla Model S can do in a 1980's version, surprised this didn't catch on at the time, would have loved to have a Roadmaster or Fleetwood Brougham with a ECC
Nice how much is that car cost?
Insane
I own a white 1988 Reatta. The touch screen is very unique and cool, but sometimes impractical. When driving I keep in on gages for the tachometer. I still love the car to death and I never plan on selling it.
The cars drive beautifully. The 4 speed 440T transmission is pretty smooth, and with regular fluid changes can easily do 250k+ miles. The car also was the first vehicle with the infamous Buick 3800. Makes about 165 hp but youre luck to get 150.
Fun fact the original plan for this car was to be the successor of the Grand National (yes, *the* grand national) it would come with a RWD-FE turbocharged v6 and manual transmissionz I really wish they wish they did that.
Better clarity than some new supercars... And i love the font..
The 1986 wildcat concept had it too
So they stuck a Pitboy in the radio slot huh?
Has a more responsive touch screen than most modern cars today, it's insane what engineers were able to pull off back in the day
You are probably here from daily dose of internet
but this is a great channel and a good video
Thanks!! Appreciate the comment!
Wow. when I clicked on the video I figured it would be from the late 90s
I need a 1986 graphic control screen for my buick riviera. Mine no longer works. Please help me find one.
Video starts at 3:33
That is SO COOL!
Didn't David Hasselhoff have one of these in an episode of Baywatch? I'm pretty sure it had voice control or something too.
You're thinking of knight rider mate 😂
Looks great, I guess work well too. Nowadays there is too much cpu/gpu power used on useless, distracting and silly animations, shadows, textures, blurs and transparencies - just to show a text box that says something...cut that crap - return to minimal!
That’s why I like this. It’s no-nonsense. It had a task, and does it flawlessly. Even by todays standards, green fluorescent display aside, it’s very modern and well laid out.
*Very fast for a 1987 product.*
*Who has the patent?*
who's here cause of Daily Dose of Internet?
We are glad you stopped by!
@@NeighborhoodCarReviews y
me, and now im subscribed to this channel
Me
Me
incroyable
Thanks for the KNAWLEDGE
Ya know.....my 2018 Mercedes e class doesn't even have touch screen. And here's Buick, 30 some odd years earlier, knocking it out of the park. UI is 20 times better than my Mercedes as well.
Cool 😀
Yes it is. I love this old technology.
😀@@NeighborhoodCarReviews
So is your engine overheating and your oil level very low?
No. They were Service Warning Tests. It’s what would show up IF something was wrong. It’s a check to make sure the program was running as intended. The car itself was flawless.
@@NeighborhoodCarReviews thank you
It’s crazy to think this but Most car manufacturers started to do this in 2009.
GM used to create some cool vehicles
Imagine getting Carplay to work on it 😂
Everybody gangsta till the car gets a pip boy
I need a graphic control center. Mine went out
But can it run Doom?
Ahead of its time but not ground breaking
Wow
Good video but no Mention of Toyota/Denso & Japanese companies they contributed to it to make it possible.
If you press the climate button and press off and warm at the same time it goes into a detailed engine diagnostic computer mode telling you everything. Service manuals tell you this not the owners manual
No tire level?
No, Tire Pressure Monitoring wasn't really established in the 80's, so, the Reatta did not have that feature. However, it would not have been out of the realm of possibility, though! GM was doing all sorts of crazy things back then!
3:33
My 1990 model year Toronado's touchscreen was much cooler than this Buick's. There was color and navigation. Unfortunately, it also had a lackluster 3.8. The transmission went out not much past 100,000 miles. I actually really liked the car, but too much of it was too special order. I think it eventually went to a crushed :(
Things that millennials and gen z’s think didn’t come out until the 2000s
...why did they spell that button "Gages"?
Probably same reason the '56 Plymouth Belvedere accessory was labeled "LITER".
PIP-BOY! ????
Brick buick
Find out the way do you font read from clipboard while recording it. Either learn it or invest in technology. Otherwise new subscriber and if I were I would consider talking when pressing the buttons etc. Wojld be much more interactive in certain way.
All fun and games until you crash and the CRT imploded and you get xposed to x rays
Please give TOYOTA the credit as well as DENSO
for what?
I remember when this came out. it was notoriously unreliable--many used Reattas with it now are dead--the display doesn't work. They removed it later on as a response. Today we have Ford SYNC and others and the history is repeating itself--both in being unreliable, and not supported or future proof--today they're still using skeuomorphism and Windows XP based software that will not have any support 5 or so years later. Should it fail it will just signal the second coming of going back to basics just as cars in the 90s did in answer to the overdone digital dashes and talking cars of the 80s did.
It isn't unreliable nor notorious for being so.. it is 30 years old now, so any broken after even 15 years isn't really a valid complaint. Most Reatta owners have perfectly working CRTs without a rebuild. A rebuild is as little as $100. They are easily serviceable, they are aviation grade and sunlight readable. They look better in direct sunlight than any modern LCD. The software is written in Fortran4 and you will never, ever, ever see it crash due to software... ever.. People were not ready, but it worked.
This is way more reliable than todays junk! at least the car still works if it quits working lol. If I remove my infotainment system out of my Infiniti my car won’t start let alone use my climate controls.. so if my infotainment system dies I think my car has to have open heart surgery.. lol it’s sad..
Oh shut the fuck up nothing out of the 1980s tech boom wasn't unreialiblae
Sorry old man
Old man? Lol
This has been an expensive pain in the ass to analyze as it flickers/is blurry/not useable, in my 1988 Reatta. It's still at the dealership, being replaced X3, and still not fixed.....
I wish I knew what language it was written in. Probably Basic, but more likely C or C+. I know it used a Motorola 6800 processor. I think IBM wanted to use theirs, but not quite sure.
????? Now it "MAYBE" The Electronic Control Module....@$435.00.......=$1,600.00 (control center, headlight switch, new battery, control module & labor)...."It'll fix itself & u need a headlight controller switch", say's *Neon Classes*, Willoughby, Ohio...... STAY AWAY!!!!