Faults:

Radiator hose at 160,000 miles or 10 years.

Air bag cover came loose on the dash after 10 years.

General Comments:

This car has been a champion. I've driven it daily now going on 11 years. It has over 191,000 miles on it, and I still drive it daily.

Other than normal maintenance, I have done nothing but gas and oil.

Faults:

Plastic cup holder in the middle console broke only weeks after purchasing the car. Minor.

Replaced the rubber moulding around the driver side door. Under warranty.

General Comments:

This car is incredibly reliable. Starts each time.

Low road and window noise.

I change the oil and fluids regularly.

I have put 2 full sets of tires, 1 set of front brake pads, and 1 battery on it. I do all maintenance myself, so I know what's going on with it.

Pretty good visibility from the driver's point.

It runs as good as the day I test drove it. To this day, I still get and average of 31 mpg with the 3.1 liter. 26 in the city and 36 on the open highways. It has plenty of room for 5 people, but not over long distances.

I can still step on the gas, and it will jump right up to whatever speed you need. Brakes work smooth with the anti-lock applied.

Really not a bad looking car. Sporty with a classy sedan touch. I changed the wheel covers to a more appealing look, and it made a very nice character switch.

Faults:

Nothing Major. Replaced Starter at around 90000 miles. Replace plugs and wires at about 100000 miles.

At 85000 miles the brake light switch malfunctioned and had to be replaced. This caused the cruise control to operate erratically. I took this problem to a mechanic as I did not want to trouble shoot a cruise control problem. (I do virtually all of my own work) I would never have thought it was the brake light switch problem but that is what solved the problem.

I use a K&N air filter and Mobil 1 full synthetic oil and keep the tire pressures at specification. If I keep it under 70 MPH I get a consistent 30-36 miles per gallon.

General Comments:

I have been very happy with this vehicle. I just need to be sure I keep it out of hail storms. It was parked right next to my '92 K1500 pickup in two different hail storms and the lumina sustained $2000.00 to $2500.00 hail damage in each one but the chevy pickup didn't have a single dent!

Good performance, easy to repair and economical to operate.

Faults:

Cupholder under the radio was missing a piece when we purchased. Cupholder in armrest broke off soon after we purchased because the cheap plastic 'connectors' snapped when my mom put a coke can in it.

I've had the rear drum brakes cleaned fairly often, otherwise they squeak like mad.

The brakes often feel too 'soft' for my taste. Not all the time, but too often when I am sitting at a stop light the brakes lose pressure. I keep the brakes have been checked, bled, and cleaned so I presume that's just the way they're designed.

~90K miles- Coolant had to be refilled daily for a week or two until the mechanics found where the coolant was leaking. Turned out to be a corroded headgasket as well as a faulty water pump. Since repair was too costly, the whole engine was replaced. Fairly common defect of this engine, from my research. Stick with factory coolant!

~108k, rear driver's side passenger window won't roll down. Never got it fixed. Also noticed more wind noise from front 2 windows.

~110k, front windows sometimes operate roughly.

113k miles- Ignition switch had to be replaced- brake lights and left blinker wouldn't work. $200.

Currently at 115k, since about 100k, a popping sound comes from the front passenger side when slowing/stopping, accelerating, or turning. Doesn't happen all the time, but it seems to be worse when the car is cold. Took a ride with the dealer, nothing happened. They said to spray the passenger side front strut tower with WD-40. Didn't seem to help much.

115k- Factory tape player doesn't like to work, even after cleaning. The radio will sometimes sound heavily faded to one side or one speaker. I tend to listen to music loud, so the factory speakers are probably dying. The sound system has held up well. Eventually, I'll probably replace everything with aftermarket gear.

General Comments:

My parents were looking for a used family car that could seat 6- 2 adults, 1 teenager, 2 elementary school kids, and one car seat.

We looked at a "bubble" Taurus wagon. All the seats were stiff, especially the rear bench for "3", or rather "2.5". The ride was stiff as well. Nice versatility being a wagon, though. It had the best looks and paint out of the cars we looked at.

Considered a Dodge Intrepid, and while it was more comfortable than the Taurus in almost every aspect of comfort, the rear seats were still a bit stiff, and the suspension still too 'sporty' for my parents' tastes. It also had higher mileage. Dodge unreliability prompted us to skip it.

Seriously considered a (2000?) Crown Vic. Plush cloth seats and very roomy. It was either/or between the CV and the Lumina.

In the end, we got the Lumina, after past experiences with Ford transmissions ('87 Ranger, '94 Tempo) and reading about tranny problems with Crown Vics. Both cars seat 6 comfortably, but the Lumina does so with more finesse. It felt like a smaller car, without making you feel dimunitive and puny on the highway. We felt the FWD Chevy would fare better in wet or icy conditions versus the RWD Ford. The Lumina gets better gas mileage (observed 20 city/ 30 highway) and the 3.1 still hauls when packed full.

The ride is the softest I've personally ridden, aside from luxury cars. The engine is quiet enough to make you think it's not even on when idling, but gives a nice tone when you open the throttle (compared to our previous Tempo). I've tried to start it when it was running. It could probably use some new struts, and the cheap tires (Hankook) on factory steelies probably don't help the ride. Friends who have ridden with me commented on how plush the seats are. All the seats are good enough for long trips, and the back seats continue to be the most comfortable rear seats we've ever sat in- including the newer Impala/Malibu/Buick Century.

Body lean is prevalent, steering light, and power is easily found below 3k RPMs, 4k if you really need to get going. It understeers and leans like a pig if driven too aggressively. Overall an easy driving experience.

Power locks work great, as does power trunk release, the latter only operating when car is in 'Park'. Power windows have aged, the left passenger window stopped rolling down, and the front 2 are getting rough.

The rear defrost is handy. No problems there.

The audio system, while not the greatest, gets the job done. Simple and easy to use. +1 for the non-Bose components, everything is easy to replace should you feel the need.

We were able to do several 200+ miles trips without any major problems.

It's put up with my teenage driving tendencies, and is an excellent first car, IMO.

If you can find one in good condition, buy it. I hope to keep this car through college.