1995 Chevrolet Lumina 3.1 V6 from North America

Summary:

One step closer to death!

Faults:

Brakes are ridiculously faulty. Expect many close calls, replacements, pads, shoes, etc.. Be sure to enjoy the squeaking and grinding noises as you scramble to come to a halt before having a nice interaction with the car in front of you. yey!

Rear struts cracked.. had to replace those.

Leaking coolant.

Electrical system is nuts. Hoping rodent crawled in and died, otherwise GM is even more ridiculous than I thought.

Security light is perpetually warning me of nothing, or so the dealer says.

Issues with door handles.. falling off in my hand, etc "Oops!"

Locks are interesting, especially when they do not unlock.

Required new tires.

General Comments:

Ay caramba.

Engine makes interesting noises when accelerating.

In my experience, 3.1 keeps up with stock civics and lawnmowers. Soccer moms in minivans pull away from me.

Plastic accessories in cabin don't help any.

Dash is organized in backwards fashion.

Rearview mirror glue is likely to melt in mild sunlight. I've had to epoxy mine back on. What a barrel of monkeys!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th November, 2002

10th Dec 2002, 21:37

You must be a pretty crappy driver if you get beat by minivans cause my Lumina toasts a lot of cars.

18th Apr 2003, 12:49

P.S. thanks to the kind (assumed) sir who declared I must be a "pretty crappy driver..." because his Lumina "...toasts a lot of other cars." Well, friend, as you can probably deduct from my review, my Lumina is spectacularly bad. Perhaps you do not have the 3.1 liter engine. Perhaps, also, you should read the other similar reviews of this god-awful car and sell your Lumina before it eats your face. And my driving is actually fabulous.

18th Apr 2003, 12:56

Um I can tell that I know nothing about cars, but um this sounds like a piece of...happiness. But really all that I can say is nergely!

9th May 2003, 12:10

Fellow Lumina owners. My 3.1 keeps chugging, but tranny is lunched at 115,000 miles. Don't think I'm going to have it fixed. Oil leaks, coolant leaks, brake and suspension problems, and fragile interior features will make me miss this car like a toothache. That being said, the car has been pretty reliable transportation over the last 5 years. time to say good bye. I have never been beat by a soccer mom and that's probably why my tranny is lunched.

18th Jun 2004, 15:29

Just installed my second alternator in four years this time I got the repair for 'FREE" I had the GoodWrench Lifetime warranty. That was good news the bad news is the intake manifold is leaking so is the water pump that's another $600.00+.I am joining the crowd going to Toyoda my brother has two of them and he does not know what a repair bill is other than plugs tires and oil is!

27th Oct 2004, 10:31

Erm--

I haven't had this car long enough to really write a review of it. However, I have replaced the water pump. Less than $100 for rebuilt, installed by a shop. If yours is charging $600, time to get a new shop.

7th Mar 2006, 18:12

Well with your brake problems, how fast and hard were you hitting them? Sometimes bad driving is a cause of this.

7th Oct 2008, 23:15

This reviewer had to replace the tires on the Lumina? Man, I've never heard of having to replace tires on any car, let alone a Lumina.

1995 Chevrolet Lumina plain standard from North America

Summary:

This car is so amazing that I wonder if it's just a fluke, which would make me not buy another one

Faults:

The brakes had to be redone.

The rear axle developed a crack and had to be replaced.

General Comments:

I never thought I'd be defending an American-made car, but after reading the other Lumina reviews, I had to talk about mine. It was given to me, and I didn't want it because of the high mileage and because it was a Chevrolet. I expected nothing but trouble.

I do not pamper it all. It has only been tuned up once since I have owned it. It's lucky to get an oil change.

Nevertheless, this is and has been the best car I have ever owned. I am simply astonished.

Granted, the interior is not plush, but it's an inexpensive car. The driver's seat is hard, but the carpet and upholstery in mine have held up fine with 3 regular canine passengers. None of the plastic fixtures (door handles, cup holder, etc.) that you would expect to break early on have broken.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th August, 2002

5th Sep 2004, 21:31

I'm confused??? You say you wouldn't BUY another one...but, according to your comment, you didn't even BUY the one you have. Maybe you title should have been, "I wouldn't take another one if someone were to give it to me".