I saw on another board that I believe is powered by vBulletin a reply option which I think might be worth trying here. (I searched and could not find out exactly the forum software, but it looks and operates identically to SDMB. I know there are clones, so it’s hard to say for sure. If anyone knows a way to be certain, please enlighten me.)
When you click the quote button on this other forum, you get an instant “post quick reply” box right beneath that post. When you post the reply, it posts in normal order. Depending on any number of factors, I think that has a lot to recommend it as an additional option, not necessarily a replacement.
I know y’all are loathe to tinker with stuff that’s working just for the hell of it, but I thought I’d mention it anyway.