Used '90 Lumina Euro

[jpkeels]

Hello everyone,

 

I am on a limited budget but found a car yesterday that I am thinking about buying. It is a '90 model Lumina Euro 3.1 (red). I drove it and it still runs terrifically. It didn't seem to be burning oil and the engine was not running hot or missing. Also the brakes applied smoothly and effectively. Steering was tight and linear with excellent effort response. Actually, I was impressed with the way this car drove and handled especially since it has 167,000 miles on it. I looked under the hood to see if there were any signs of serious oil or coolant leaks and also did not notice any dripping from under the car. The transmission seemed to shift pretty good and didn't seem to jerk or slip any. Also, I flinged the car pretty hard into some corners and the struts on all four corners seemed to respond effectively without bouncing or any sort of surprising responses.

 

Inside, all of the electrical accessories still work (though I didn't test the AC). The guy I am thinking of buying this from wants $1500 for it. I know that the 3100 engine has a pretty good reputation for reliability However, I would like some feedback. Do you think this is a good buy? The interior is in pretty good shape and the body is in good shape for such an older car.

 

What do you think? Next time I am out there I am going to pull the oil filler cap off the engine and look for any milky or greenish tint in the oil (I am aware of the manifold coolant leak problem that many of these engines had).

 

In short, I think its a nice older car that I could drive for a little while. Parts should be relatively affordable and easy to find. Also, most mechanics should be knowledgable on working with these cars.

 

Still, what do you think. Do you think this is a good buy?

[digitaloutsider]

3.1's didn't have the manifold problem. You're thinking of the 3100. The 3.1's are pretty much un-bustable, and it isn't too bad of a deal for $1,500 if it's in really good shape. What options does it have?

[3pt1lumina]

Yeah the 90 Lumina's have the 3.1 instead of the 3100.... The 3.1 is the earlier version (Gen II) and yes they are virtually indestructable. Check out how much abuse it can take in the "whatever section" under the thread entitled "3.1 takes a beating" ahaha

 

 

I'd go for it. $1500 seems good. Did you look underneath it to check the lines/gas tank? Also, see if the owner has any of the older maintanence records on it.

 

It sounds like spending $1500 and the condition you described, this car will last you a few years.

 

IMO from what you've described, I'd buy it.

[GP1138]

Also the brakes applied smoothly and effectively.

 

 

Sounds like a great deal! I'd go for it!

[jpkeels]

Well first of all let me detail further the condition of the car. The interior is intact completely minus the headliner (which seems to be gone on a lot of thse cars).. otherwise the interior is in good shape. There is one very small rust spot in the rear fender maybe the size of a half dollar. Also there is a spot bondoed over where some sort of mobile radio antenna had been mounted on the rear deck lid spoiler. Thse things do not bother me. The paint otherwise is in excellent condition minus the front bumper which is faded Some.

 

Mechanically everything seems to be fine although I did notice some road noise from the rear of the car. To me it sounded like a possible wheel bearing issue but I am not afraid to spend a little to fix that. The car does have brand new tires though.

 

As for options, it has power windows and door locks. It has the standard climate control system and 4 speaker delco tape deck and AM/FM Stereo Radio (which has surpriisingly good sound quality for a factory system on an old car). It does not have a sun roof though I do believe it has power mirrors. I don't know a lot about the options that were available on this car. The power windows work perfectly and so do the power door locks. All of the gauges seem to work OK. Something I noticed is that the oil pressure gauge ran about the middle of the range on the guage at idle and fluctuated a little at idle (thinking that is completely normal).. of course as soon as you rev the engine or drive away the oil pressure rises quickly with engine rpm's.

 

I shifted in and out of overdrive twice at about 55mph to test the tranny a little. The car barely lurched at all when shifting in and out of overdrive (just a little which is usually normal on an automatic transmission). Also you could perceive the transmission shifts a little bit as a slight nudge while driving at all speeds but nothing like a severe jerk. I did drive another Lumina today and a Beretta with the 3.1L engine and the transmissions in both of those cars did seem to shift a little smoother than with this car (not a lot though). Just an observation. Something to be concerned about? I know that hydramatic overdrive transmissions have an excellent reputation for reliability and long lasting service.

 

The car that i drove a lot before this was a 1995 mazda 626 V6 which had a rough shifting automatic transmission by comparison and the 3.1L V6 in the Chevy seems just as quiet and smooth as the multivalve V6 engine from Mazda (impressive).

 

Anyway, that is a little more detail on the car.

[Dirty Rockstar]

Grab it up!! I loved my 90 before I wrecked it.. Anyway.. Check the following areas: rocker panels, the seam just above where the rear bumper meets the car, the trunk (esp. the edges where the lid meets the car), rear suspension, and the lights in the HVAC control box.. In the engine bay, look on the pass side, near the front.. THere is a load of coolant lines, going into a housing.. It looks like a meass of lines.. Well, the gasket where it meets the waterpump blew on mine at 170k.. Just check it out, and replace (I would.. TO avoid what happened to me, lol..) otherwise, get it!

[maybe2fast]

ok the shifting is probably a bad vacuum modulator ($6 dollar fix)

 

missing headliner...offer a 1000.00 he priced it high and is expecting less (someone on here can probably help with the headliner)

 

and remember if you see anything in a GP, Regal, Cutlass or another Lumina you can put it in your and trust me there is alot of cool stuff. And some performance aftermarket is even available for the 3.1 and I loved my 90 Lumina and check out the www button second page for some ideas

[1990lumina]

I'd like to know how you got power mirrors!! I didn't think they were available on the first gen Luminas.

Sounds like a nice car, I'd offer $1000 and see what happens.

 

- Jeff L.

[White93z34]

no power mirrors, just remote mirrors. don't worry about the oil PSI gauge.

 

check the color of the trans fluid and smell it if its good and red and not black and burnt you should be good.

[supreme_style21]

Again, I think I am the only one that feels these old base model cars, no matter what condition, are worth like five hundred bucks. Its an old base model Lumina pushing 200,000 miles... worth very few dollars in my opinion.

[digitaloutsider]

You're just jealous it's above 100k and still runs..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rabbi]

for $1500 you could get a z34 for christ sakes dude

 

i dont know where you people live and what kind of price's your paying for your 12 year old plus car's but jesus.

 

 

i know of two z34's that can be snagged here for $1500 for BOTH.

 

That euro must be in showroom quality or something........

[jpkeels]

Hmmm, thanks for all the feedback. I will keep monitoring this forum. A lot of people seem to think that this car is a little overpriced so I may hold off a bit on purchasing it. This is why I posted in the first place. The place thats selling it is actually a used car dealer (which I am not crazy about) and maybe that is also why its a little high. The guy mentioned that at 1500 that he'd only make about $300 on the sale (who knows though, he is probably exaggerating

 

Anyway, I live in Asheville, North Carolina. There are lots of W-Body cars on the road. I looked up the price using kelly blue book for a car in its condition that would be sold from a dealer and it mentioned that $2000 is a starting price to negotiate on this model and year. Still I don' know if its a really good deal or not. Several of you guys dont' seem to think so. I will watch this forum a little more, think about the situation a little more.

[supreme_style21]

You're just jealous it's above 100k and still runs.

 

 

:|

[3pt1lumina]

I live in the salt belt. Finding a decent 10 year old car here is real hard.

 

 

If you were in Rochester, NY that car would be gone already.. We never see that kind of deal here.

[jeremy]

I wouldn't offer more the $700-800 for it.....$1500 is WAY too much IMHO

[jpkeels]

I agree completely now that the car is overpriced. I talked to my Dad. He works at a Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, GMC dealer in SC. I asked him about the car and the condition it is in and he also mentioned that it was overpriced. He sells cars for a living and knows more than even I do. So I trust his wisdom on this. Actually, I did not buy the Lumina. If the price had been under 1000 then maybe I would've but I bought a different car instead (something even better in fact).

 

I do like the Luminas and particularly the grand prix SE models with the uprated springs, struts etc. It is especially nice looking in the 2 door coupe version. Perhaps I will buy one later one. Right now, I needed a car that I knew I could depend on so (maybe I am not patriotic) I wound up purchasing a 1985 Toyota Tercel Wagon, front wheel drive, 5 speed with a rebuilt engine in it also with new cv joints and a new strut installed. The body on it is in good condition and the interior isn't bad either. The price on it was significantly less than the chevy so it was worth it. With the rebuilt engine it should go for a long time.

[supreme_style21]

lol I'd have bought the lumina instead!

[jpkeels]

Well, Supreme I don't blame you. The lumina was a quieter, more comfortable and quicker car. Also it drives very well. I was impressed. It is a matter of practicality. The car that is the most likely to be reliable, reasonable gas mileage and best deal will usually win with me. Now, I am definitely not against buying domestic cars as there are many domestic cars that I love especially nowadays. Nonetheless, it was a wise decision. Maybe later on I will buy a newer W body car. Maybe a late model grand prix or malibu. Those seem pretty good for the money.

 

I do appreciate everyone's feedback and I may still hang around these forums since the W-body cars are nice and something I like a lot.

[supreme_style21]

Sigh... if its a matter of practicality and not looks, then I guess what you chose wins.

[GP1138]

Tercel Wagons = but wise decision, I guess. A Toyota engine, rebuilt, should last you a while...

[jpkeels]

I must add one additional statement. Of all the domestic cars during the 90's it seems that w-body's were some of the better driving and reliable cars made. Also, among domestic drivetrains I have been most impressed by the 3.1L, 3800, 3.3L, etc. engines in concert with the hydramatic transmissions. Some of the most reliable and even efficient drivetrains I have seen and very quiet and smooth, on par with even some modern import multivalve engines. GM definitely did their homework in the drivetrain department. And for that alone I must give them some praise. One day perhaps I will get to enjoy these benefits everyday.

 

[supreme_style21]

I must add one additional statement. Of all the domestic cars during the 90's it seems that w-body's were some of the better driving and reliable cars made. Also, among domestic drivetrains I have been most impressed by the 3.1L, 3800, 3.3L, etc. engines in concert with the hydramatic transmissions. Some of the most reliable and even efficient drivetrains I have seen and very quiet and smooth, on par with even some modern import multivalve engines. GM definitely did their homework in the drivetrain department. And for that alone I must give them some praise. One day perhaps I will get to enjoy these benefits everyday.

 

 

 

Hmm. Very true. If only they could have continued that.

[jpkeels]

One interesting fact about the guy who sold me this toyota. He told me that in the past he knew Click and Clack, the tappet brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi. I have listened to their show on the radio for years as well as read their newspaper column each week (as it has been published in the Asheville Citizen-Times for years). Anyway, thought that was pretty interesting. Apparently the guy customizes cars including W-Body cars. I asked him if he wasn't our local version of Overhaulin' LOL

[supreme_style21]

One interesting fact about the guy who sold me this toyota. He told me that in the past he knew Click and Clack, the tappet brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi. I have listened to their show on the radio for years as well as read their newspaper column each week (as it has been published in the Asheville Citizen-Times for years). Anyway, thought that was pretty interesting. Apparently the guy customizes cars including W-Body cars. I asked him if he wasn't our local version of Overhaulin' LOL

 

THOSE guys are hilarious.