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1992 Lumina with low milage for $400; worth the trouble?


canadian_lumina
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I've come across someone selling a 1992 Lumina Euro with 83,000KM on it and hardly any rust for $400 CAD or best offer. Apparently runs well, and the only problems mentioned are a hole in the exhaust and leaking oil.

 

I have the means to transport (not being sold certified to be driven), store, and work on it but considering the age I'm not entirely convinced it's even worth the trouble of picking it up. I've heard a lot of complaints about the 1st gen Luminas online and I'm not sure how much of that is justified (I've never owned a W body, so I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this).

 

Any advice or relevant info would be appreciated.

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i have a 1990 lumina that has about 150k miles on it i paid 650$ USD 5 years ago and it ran like a champ untill recently with a intake gasket leak and cooling fans stopped working but i am going to be getting a new car because the rust on mine has just gotten to bad, only things i have really done to it are things because of rust mostly (new fuel tank, fuel lines, brake lines, also have cleaned the egr, coolant flush, and regular oil changes)

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Is it the 3.4 or the 3.1?

 

Regardless, the main issue with these cars are lower intake gaskets. Other than that, these cars are pretty reliable. In fact, my Cutlass Supreme (related to the Lumina) has been more reliable than my Camaro despite the Cutlass always having something that needs to be fixed. What is the engine has always been excellent, even with a bad lower intake manifold gasket. That has been fixed though. I have the 3.4.

 

So the real question is do you like the Lumina? I don't mean like as in that specific example, but whether or not you like the body style or the shape of it. If you like it, and can see yourself being a W enthusiast, then get it. If you don't then find another car. Never buy a car because it's cheap or because of your friend's experience, buy a car that you like and wouldn't mind driving 10, 20 years from now. That's all I have to say. The Luminas and most American cars got a lot of trash talk that they didn't deserve, but these cars have been reliable to a lot of us. The resale value of them are just bad.

Edited by Nas Escobar
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^exactly i LOVE my 1st gen lumina not a big fan of the 4 door version though it has never failed me best story i have had with my car is a few years ago we had a bad winter to the point they shut down a highway between my work and home and they have never shut it down before or sense and i was working that night and there where snow drifts up to the headlights on the highway and the lumina went through it like it was nothing (i did get stuck in my driveway though when i slowed down :P)

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Wow, thanks for the advice everyone. It's great to hear they've been good cars for you, and it definitely makes me more willing to give this a shot. I've always liked the Lumina, and most W models (despite the fact a lot of people I know label them "ugly" as if that were a general fact), so I think I'll give this guy a call and see where it ends up. I am a college student with next to no cash, but at that price, even if it turned out to be a complete write-off I imagine I could get most of it back just scrapping it (and I'd certainly rather see it fall into my hands than a scrap yard).

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1992 Cutlass Supreme here, in Canada. Basically a little bit fancier than the Lumina interior-wise, but other than that, pretty much identical. Obviously the Lumina, especially a 1992, isn't the sexiest car on Earth. But parts are dirt cheap, the 3.1 is fairly reliable as long as the LIM has been done correctly (ie: updated torque specs, blue Loctite/Permatex thread sealant on the bolts), and most other issues are fairly easily dealt with.

 

The oil leak, you might be able to re-do the oil pump drive seal and fix that at least partially. And the exhaust leak, most likely any competent exhaust shop could fix that for less than a hundred bucks.

 

So yeah, if you actually need a car, go for it. That's a heck of a deal.

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It sounds like it's worth a shot for sure. Especially if all it needs is a muffler and an oil leak fix(assuming it's not something major)

 

My Lumina Euro was a great car

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