6th Feb 2007, 17:55

You have to be joking about the Lumina, one of Chevy's worst ideas (and that's saying a lot). The Lumina is at the bottom of the heap, right down there with the Cavalier, Beretta, Z 24, and the Monte Carlo's and Malibu's. That 18 year old Toyota is a better car today than your Lumina was brand new.

9th Feb 2007, 19:57

If one of my cars had EVER needed ANYTHING at a mere 150,000 miles I'd never buy that brand again...EVER. Of course, all my cars have been domestics so I never have ANY problems before 250,000 miles and by then I'm tired of them anyway. We have 270,000 on our Buick now, but it is not driven all that much anymore. We have three other (domestics) that we are less tired of so we mostly drive one of them. We went 320,000 miles with one of our Fords because at the time we couldn't afford to trade for something newer. Import folks crack me up with this idea that 150,000 is a lot of miles. It may be for an import, but not for a Ford, GM or Chrysler.

17th Feb 2007, 18:50

One of our friends bought a used Camry about 4 years ago with almost 100,000 miles on it. Within a couple of months it started having all sorts of problems, and after 6 months the transmission went out. He was told it would cost way more than the car was worth to fix it ($3500), so he junked it and bought a NINETEEN YEAR OLD CHEVY CELEBRITY with over 200,000 miles on it for $800. It ran flawlessly up until last year, when they were able to buy a newer car. I'd steer clear of ANY Toyota with over 100,000 miles on it. Repairs are WAYYYYY higher than on a domestic and are required more frequently.

6th Jun 2007, 14:47

Very simple test to prove the sheer insanity of claiming American cars last forever - just pay attention to how many more Hondas and Toyotas of that age you see on the road than you will see of Chevys, Pontiacs, Fords, Chryslers, etc.

Just today in fact I saw someone driving some crappy old Regal from 1987 or so and I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen one in what must be years. But I see two or three old Camrys and Accords on a daily basis.

I think that proves it once and for all.

Surely there are people who buy one of those old Celebrities and find themselves driving a solid, reliable car. But that's only because it's the exception to the rule - a lucky one off sort of thing. That is why the thing is still on the road! Pay attention next time you're out - good luck seeing an 80s Celebrity or Cavalier. 90% of them are in scrap heaps.

7th Jun 2007, 13:25

Not to mention those Celebrities were owned by old people and probably have only 40,000 miles on them which would be nice to have a low mileage car. Just go onto ebay and the you will find many Honda or Toyota's with over 200,000 miles for sale... many more than GM, Ford, or Chrysler.

3rd Aug 2007, 20:03

150,000 is NOTHING for the imports, but an unattainable goal for Chevy, Ford & Chrysler.

My '89 Corolla just turned 140,000 and I can expect another 140,000 easily. Something I'd never expect with any American car (unfortunately).

I'd bite my nails in nervous anticipation if I had to turn the key on any American brand with that kind of miles.

My rusty 'n trusty Corolla still takes 300 mile trips twice a month or so, and I don't hesitate to trust it to get me home.

In all fairness to GM, I have seen 80's and early 90's Cavaliers (2.2 liter) with 280,000 and 386,000 miles (yes, it's true! I saw one today!) so there is some cream that rises to the top for a few of them.

I really want to like American cars, but until they take a key from the Japanese cars (simple yet well engineered, solid, etc.) I just can't.

Enough monstrous SUV's with cathedral ceilings, faux wood grain and gold plated 'crests' already. Gimme the American equivalent of the Toyota Corolla or Camry!

4th Aug 2007, 13:23

"150,000 is NOTHING for the imports, but an unattainable goal for Chevy, Ford & Chrysler."

Really? Then how would you explain the fact that my family has owned the following American cars that surpassed 200,000 miles?

1976 Plymouth Volare

1977 Dodge van (Tradesman 100)

1979 Plymouth Volare

1980 Plymouth Volare

1983 Chevy Cavalier

1984 Plymouth Reliant

1985 Dodge Ram

1989 Chevy van (20)

1994 Cadillac Seville

1997 Mercury Topaz.

Are you really going to claim that these cars are a fluke, and that my family just happened to get lucky with all kinds of different models spanning two decades??!? Face it, American cars are at least as reliable, and cheaper to own than Japanese. The '85 Ram has over 260,000 miles. Let us know when your Corolla reaches that. I'm betting we'll never hear from you.

21st Feb 2008, 11:23

These cars should be OK if the mileage is under 100K. I have a Japanese model with 208K and it is beginning to appear to be the end for it. The engines are reliable, but there can be anomolies. Service is important - regular oil changes and filter replacements. My vehicle still runs, but now water is in the EGR system - not a good sign, as this is only supposed to be recirculated gases. I suspect an engine gasket is going and it is not worth the expensive repair with that many miles on it. The older Camry with low miles are getting rarer and rarer - it is usually an older person's car who can no longer drive and the family sells the car.

15th Apr 2015, 15:24

That's not really fair in 2 ways.

#1 Chevrolet built the world's best cars in 1989.

#2 When you purchase a car with 90k miles on it, who knows what it's been through.