genEus Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 OK, so some of you guys have been razzing me about saying that I wouldn't keep my Lumina for more than 2-3 years... But, realistically... it has 13k miles on it now... Can someone make an educated prediction based on the parameters below and tell me how much I will spend on this car in 3 years based on things that are known to break in them, and how much I will spend thereafter? I expect to be earning considerably more money in 3 years than today so since these cars depreciate so drastically I don't think I'd gain much by selling it then. Here are my parameters... Climate: upstate NY: brutally hot and humid summers and brutally cold winters Driving: mostly suburban 35mph speed limit roads with stoplights, fairly little highway driving Miles per year: 10-12k Driving habits: sometimes I drive crazy. If I had a tach I'm sure i would see the needle go into red once in a while. But, mostly, I can't do that in rural areas. Oil changes: every 3k miles So, what do you think? Quote
gimp19 Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 I would say about $1,000 for regular maintiance brakes, tires, fluids and a tune up if you do the work yourself. Quote
mihela816 Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 W-bodies aren't bad on maintenance. Expect it to cost far less than the value of a decent car to maintain. Quote
DiscoStudd Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 I can tell you honestly that a Lumina is a damn reliable vehicle. We bought our 96 with just over 100k and ran it up to 160k in 2 years without any major problems. I did have a few "minor" issues, but keep in mind that the car was a bit older than yours and had a ton more miles. Other than routine maintenance (keeping it tuned up, getting all of the fluids changed regularly, new tires and brakes when it needed them - which every car needs regardless of who built it,) I had to replace the turn signal switch, the Ignition Control Module & Coilpacks, and I had to sand down the terminals of the fuel pump relay because they got corroded. Again, very minor issues, but I'm sure you won't have those problems until the car's a bit older. Going by how many miles you drive a year, I'd "guesstimate" you'd probably spend close to $500 on oil changes (assuming you spend $30 each time you get it changed) maybe another $100-200 on tune-ups/fluid changes, and $400-500 on tires (not taking new wheels into account.) Add in a couple of brake jobs, you're looking at somewhere between $1500-2000 just to keep your car maintaned over a 5 year period. Average that out to $300-400 a year. If you do all of the work yourself, you'll probably shave that figure in half. Look at it this way: if you don't keep up on the routine maintenance, then it'll cost you more money in the long run when major components start breaking down due to lack of proper maintenance. I like my friend's analogy of him spending money on routine maintenance for his car: "That's my bitch!" (Ya know, he doesn't have a woman, so his car is his #1 "bitch" ...) Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 At one time I added it up, and I was averaging about $5/month in unscheduled repairs. They don't cost much to own. Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 My car used tp reside in Lubbock, TX and made the occasional drive to Dallas and back in the SUMMER (it's all desert for those of you who aren't Texans ). I wouldn't call upstate NY's summers brutally hot by any means. I would say even less than 1000, that sounds like somebody who does repairs a little beyond what the car actually needs, but of course that's not a bad thing by any means. At 13K I wouldn't think you'd be doing very much expensive maintenance but that's just me. Here's a make-shift table with the reccomended maintenance schedule/interval Oil change-------------------- 7,500mi or 12mos.------------------$20 Chassis Lube--------------------------" " ---------------------- depends Wheel inspection/rotation---------15,000mi----------------~$30 min a tire cooling system service, ----------30,000mi--------------------~$20 spark plug replacement,---------------" "-----------------------~$12 PCV valve check,---------------------- " "---------------- ~$2.50 if needed EGR inspection,-------------------------" " filter replacement.----------------------" "-------------------~$10(stock) chances are you'll only spend about $120 on a 13K car minus the charge of tires/ brakes as that depends on what you're willing to buy/do. Quote
GutlessSupreme Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 What exactly is involved in a chassis lube? Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 My chilton's manual states to: Lubricate the suspension and steering linkage with heavy duty chassis grease. Lubricate the transaxle shift linkage, and parking cable guides with white lithium grease. Apply graphite lube to the lock cylinders and spray silicone lubricant on the door hinges. Quote
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 Aside from regular maintenance (oil, filters, tires, other fluids) it shouldn't be more than $500 average per year. My 88 GP with 280,000km hardly cost me anything. With that many miles you expect to replace alot of stuff.. I changed an alernator, gas tank (rust), signal light switch, balljoint and a tie rod end, plugs and wires, and a few other things I can't remember. that's about it. Nothing major it was a cheap car in the 4 years I owned it! Quote
SigEpCutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 dude if your lumi only has 13,000miles on it why wouldn't you keep it? part of the reason I'm probably going to trade in my cutlass for a 2000+ W is b/c she's about to hit 90,000miles. I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. Keep the lumi it's low mileage! That means you're going to have a lot less maintenace issues than those of us with higer mileage vehicles. Plus, look at the huge support group u have here to help u with stuff. Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 dude if your lumi only has 13,000miles on it why wouldn't you keep it? part of the reason I'm probably going to trade in my cutlass for a 2000+ W is b/c she's about to hit 90,000miles. I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. I don't even buy 'em unless they have >100k on the clock. Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 dude if your lumi only has 13,000miles on it why wouldn't you keep it? part of the reason I'm probably going to trade in my cutlass for a 2000+ W is b/c she's about to hit 90,000miles. I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. Keep the lumi it's low mileage! That means you're going to have a lot less maintenace issues than those of us with higer mileage vehicles. Plus, look at the huge support group u have here to help u with stuff. Quote
DiscoStudd Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. The guy that sold my wife and I our new cars told us that in order to get top dollar for your trade-in, you should trade it in before it hits 75k... Quote
SigEpCutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. The guy that sold my wife and I our new cars told us that in order to get top dollar for your trade-in, you should trade it in before it hits 75k... yup I know but 15k ago i didn't graduate from college yet nor did I have a job with great pay. Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. The guy that sold my wife and I our new cars told us that in order to get top dollar for your trade-in, you should trade it in before it hits 75k... To get top dollar for your trade-in, you should only buy Honda or Toyota. Quote
SigEpCutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 I figure I need to trade before it hits 100k to get anything decent for her. The guy that sold my wife and I our new cars told us that in order to get top dollar for your trade-in, you should trade it in before it hits 75k... To get top dollar for your trade-in, you should only buy Honda or Toyota. Now that's definately something I would do ...NOT! Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 15, 2005 Report Posted July 15, 2005 ...why not? there's a reason why they have the best re-sell value.... Quote
genEus Posted July 15, 2005 Author Report Posted July 15, 2005 ...why not? there's a reason why they have the best re-sell value.... This is probably not the forum you'll find a lot of Honda/Toyota enthusiasts Quote
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 I absolutly HATE the Vibe/Matrix and the Corolla. Such small weird cars. Noisely ball-less little engines that shift a million times when you're driving around the city. Toyota=ghey. Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 The whole proven reliability/ great fuel economy makes it worth-while to me, but of course that's my PERSONAL opinion....on with the thread.... Quote
1990lumina Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 That's because they have absolutely no power and have to to keep them going lol Quote
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 That's because they have absolutely no power and have to to keep them going lol .. I think.. lol Low output = low wear! Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 How much output do you NEED if you're just driving around. like I said If you want power, get a powerful car. The Matrix pretty much has the same powertrain as the celica (hence the 8100 RPM redline), so it's got plenty of power to pull you around. If you want something with muscle, get an American car, if you want something that gets you around, that's where the japs come in. Once again, that's just my opinion. Quote
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 Aside from the weird japanese engine, have you ever driven or rode in a Matrix or Corolla? They have horribley uncomfortable seats! Maybe they're designed to be safe in accident or something? Also the center console is horribly placed... nowhere to rest your rigth arm (except on the steering wheel ... where it's suppose to be. hmmm) Quote
Supreme Cutlass Posted July 16, 2005 Report Posted July 16, 2005 That's just your personal prefrence... I think they're fine, but hey, to each his own, right? Quote
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