1997 Chevrolet Lumina Base 3.1 V6 from North America
Summary:
Great dependable family car
Faults:
Had the A/C condenser replaced at 94k miles.
General Comments:
LOVE this car! I bought it from an auction, where it was used as a company car for the local gas & electric company. I have had it for over a year and have no complaints whatsoever. Its got a smooth ride, lots of pep and lots of room. Its the base model, yet it still looks sporty (very reminiscent of its sister, the Monte Carlo).
I've heard of problems with the paint on these, but mine is holding up just fine, still shines! Also, this car was modified by the company to run on natural gas as well as gasoline. Therefore, I have a big tank in the trunk that takes up a lot of space, but lucky me... I can run on either and natural gas is better for the environment.
I would HIGHLY recommend this car to anyone and it's a shame that Chevy stopped production on it.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th July, 2004
4th Mar 2007, 10:13
OK...another update:
At 118k miles I had it in the shop because it would hesitate at a stop, like it didn't want to go... then became jerky when it finally did start moving. Turns out, the fuel line was shorting out because of the modifications made to the engine (it had been modified to run on natural gas). That was about a $400 fix.
Its in the shop right now getting the radiator replaced. Was sucking coolant, but couldn't see where it was leaking, not onto the ground or anything. I had to keep putting coolant in it like every 2 weeks. Finally it overheated on the highway yesterday. First time it left me stranded. My mechanic (who happens to be my brother!) said the radiator is bad. Its got 123k miles on it now.
OH and the paint is horrific. The trunk is almost completely gone, just down to the gray primer. The roof has a dinner-plate sized spot with no paint, both ridges in the hood are stripping off and the rear passenger side door is almost totally void of paint. Pretty.
27th Jul 2005, 15:11
I am the original author of this review from last year. Since then, a few things have gone wrong with the car and I wanted to update it:
February 2005 - Replaced alternator $100.00.
April 2005 - Had catalytic converter replaced (failed E-check is the only reason I knew it was bad) $750.00.
July 2005 - Car wouldn't start on occasion. It would run just fine (when it was running) but couple times it just wouldn't start at all. Would crank like it *wanted* to start, but wouldn't turn over. Had it towed to my mechanic, but they couldn't get to it until the next day and of course it started right up for him. Took it home, drove it another month. Again, it wouldn't start one day. I waited until the next day to try it again, but this time it did not fire up. I tried again the next day...nothing. Finally I had it towed to the mechanic once again. Turns out, it had a bad crankshaft sensor.
So far, that's all that's gone wrong. The car now has 104,000 miles.