diff --git a/src/apps/mail/MailApp.cpp b/src/apps/mail/MailApp.cpp
index f1a471ea30..6bfd80a864 100644
--- a/src/apps/mail/MailApp.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/mail/MailApp.cpp
@@ -122,8 +122,7 @@ TMailApp::TMailApp()
 	fAutoMarkRead = true;
 	fSignature = (char*)malloc(strlen(B_TRANSLATE("None")) + 1);
 	strcpy(fSignature, B_TRANSLATE("None"));
-	fReplyPreamble = (char*)malloc(1);
-	fReplyPreamble[0] = '\0';
+	fReplyPreamble = strdup(B_TRANSLATE("%e wrote:%b"));
 
 	fMailWindowFrame.Set(0, 0, 0, 0);
 	fSignatureWindowFrame.Set(6, TITLE_BAR_HEIGHT, 6 + kSigWidth,
diff --git a/src/apps/mail/MailWindow.cpp b/src/apps/mail/MailWindow.cpp
index ec9511feb8..257ef2e498 100644
--- a/src/apps/mail/MailWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/mail/MailWindow.cpp
@@ -2053,8 +2053,6 @@ TMailWindow::CopyMessage(entry_ref *ref, TMailWindow *src)
 void
 TMailWindow::Reply(entry_ref *ref, TMailWindow *window, uint32 type)
 {
-	const char *notImplementedString = "<Not Yet Implemented>";
-
 	fRepliedMail = *ref;
 	SetOriginatingWindow(window);
 
@@ -2105,79 +2103,27 @@ TMailWindow::Reply(entry_ref *ref, TMailWindow *window, uint32 type)
 
 	// create preamble string
 
-	BString replyPreamble = fApp->ReplyPreamble();
+	BString preamble = fApp->ReplyPreamble();
 
-	char preamble[1024];
-	const char* from = replyPreamble.String();
-	char* to = preamble;
+	BString name;
+	mail->GetName(&name);
+	if (name.Length() <= 0)
+		name = B_TRANSLATE("(Name unavailable)");
 
-	while (*from) {
-		if (*from == '%') {
-			// insert special content
-			int32 length;
+	BString address(mail->From());
+	if (address.Length() <= 0)
+		address = B_TRANSLATE("(Address unavailable)");
 
-			switch (*++from) {
-				case 'n':	// full name
-				{
-					BString fullName(mail->From());
-					if (fullName.Length() <= 0)
-						fullName = "No-From-Address-Available";
-
-					extract_address_name(fullName);
-					length = fullName.Length();
-					memcpy(to, fullName.String(), length);
-					to += length;
-					break;
-				}
-
-				case 'e':	// eMail address
-				{
-					const char *address = mail->From();
-					if (address == NULL)
-						address = "<unknown>";
-					length = strlen(address);
-					memcpy(to, address, length);
-					to += length;
-					break;
-				}
-
-				case 'd':	// date
-				{
-					const char *date = mail->Date();
-					if (date == NULL)
-						date = "No-Date-Available";
-					length = strlen(date);
-					memcpy(to, date, length);
-					to += length;
-					break;
-				}
-
-				// ToDo: parse stuff!
-				case 'f':	// first name
-				case 'l':	// last name
-					length = strlen(notImplementedString);
-					memcpy(to, notImplementedString, length);
-					to += length;
-					break;
-
-				default: // Sometimes a % is just a %.
-					*to++ = *from;
-			}
-		} else if (*from == '\\') {
-			switch (*++from) {
-				case 'n':
-					*to++ = '\n';
-					break;
-
-				default:
-					*to++ = *from;
-			}
-		} else
-			*to++ = *from;
-
-		from++;
-	}
-	*to = '\0';
+	BString date(mail->Date());
+	if (date.Length() <= 0)
+		date = B_TRANSLATE("(Date unavailable)");
+			
+	preamble.ReplaceAll("%n", name);
+	preamble.ReplaceAll("%e", address);
+	preamble.ReplaceAll("%d", date);
+	preamble.ReplaceAll("%b", "\n");
+	preamble.ReplaceAll("\\n", "\n");
+		// backwards compatability with older settings
 
 	// insert (if selection) or load (if whole mail) message text into text view
 
@@ -2216,7 +2162,7 @@ TMailWindow::Reply(entry_ref *ref, TMailWindow *window, uint32 type)
 		}
 
 		fContentView->fTextView->GoToLine(0);
-		if (strlen(preamble) > 0)
+		if (preamble.Length() > 0)
 			fContentView->fTextView->Insert(preamble);
 	} else {
 		fContentView->fTextView->LoadMessage(mail, true, preamble);
diff --git a/src/apps/mail/Prefs.cpp b/src/apps/mail/Prefs.cpp
index 708787de2c..5b5d0f652f 100644
--- a/src/apps/mail/Prefs.cpp
+++ b/src/apps/mail/Prefs.cpp
@@ -484,8 +484,12 @@ TPrefsWindow::MessageReceived(BMessage* msg)
 			}
 
 			BTextView *text = fReplyPreamble->TextView();
-			// To do: insert at selection point rather than at the end.
-			text->Insert(text->TextLength(), item->Label(), 2);
+			int32 selectionStart;
+			int32 selectionEnd;
+			text->GetSelection(&selectionStart, &selectionEnd);
+			if (selectionStart != selectionEnd)
+				text->Delete(selectionStart, selectionEnd);
+			text->Insert(item->Label(), 2);
 		}
 		case P_SIG:
 			free(*fNewSignature);
@@ -677,29 +681,21 @@ TPrefsWindow::_BuildReplyToMenu(int32 account)
 BMenu*
 TPrefsWindow::_BuildReplyPreambleMenu()
 {
-	const char *substitutes[] = {
-/* To do: Not yet working, leave out for 2.0.0 beta 4:
-		"%f - First name",
-		"%l - Last name",
-*/
-		B_TRANSLATE("%n - Full name"),
-		B_TRANSLATE("%e - E-mail address"),
-		B_TRANSLATE("%d - Date"),
-		"",
-		B_TRANSLATE("\\n - Newline"),
-		NULL
-	};
-
 	BMenu *menu = new BMenu(B_EMPTY_STRING);
 
-	for (int32 i = 0; substitutes[i]; i++) {
-		if (*substitutes[i] == '\0') {
-			menu->AddSeparatorItem();
-		} else {
-			menu->AddItem(new BMenuItem(substitutes[i],
-				new BMessage(P_REPLY_PREAMBLE)));
-		}
-	}
+	menu->AddItem(new BMenuItem(B_TRANSLATE("%n - Full name"),
+		new BMessage(P_REPLY_PREAMBLE)));
+
+	menu->AddItem(new BMenuItem(B_TRANSLATE("%e - E-mail address"),
+		new BMessage(P_REPLY_PREAMBLE)));
+
+	menu->AddItem(new BMenuItem(B_TRANSLATE("%d - Date"),
+		new BMessage(P_REPLY_PREAMBLE)));
+
+	menu->AddSeparatorItem();
+
+	menu->AddItem(new BMenuItem(B_TRANSLATE("%b - Line break"),
+		new BMessage(P_REPLY_PREAMBLE)));
 
 	return menu;
 }