I am a retired G.M. tech bought a 99 Lumina brand new , its still has no rattles or clunks , 160,000 miles the only repairs was intake gaskets leaking coolant. This was one of G.M. finest cars built. Its the only new vehicle I ever bought new. Good gas mileage , roomy, quiet.
My parents had a ‘96 Lumina LS when I was a kid, that was the car we did everything in! Drove from Ohio to North Carolina a few times in it and even to Canada. They traded it in on a ‘03 Venture. My buddy also had a Lumina too, his was a 1999, and by the time he got it he just beat the hell out of it but he never could kill it
People today don't understand what these cars where when they were new, they were stylish and comfortable and very reliable for the most part that's why so many are still around today as beater cars because they kept going
I guarantee you at least there's at least one of these still driving around your town... it may be missing one or more wheel covers and at least half the paint's gone but it's still running.
Hhaha. Mines missing half the paint and interior is going to crap but she still runs and still peppy. Alloy wheels so no issue of losing a wheel cover.
I have one with 250,000 miles on the clock so yea, very bulletproof. Stock and original internals, Radiator has been replaced and all coolant hoses among other things but still running strong!
Surrounded in a sea of 1990'S GM plastic with the curb appeal of dry, white toast. I dated a girl in high school who's father was a deputy sheriff. He wrecked his 1997 Crown Vic and got issued one of these. He looked so damn depressed having to drive a Lumina while waiting on his car to come out of the shop.
My grandfather had a '98 Monte Carlo with the 3.1 V6 and I can remember how bland and cheap that car felt even as a young kid. Meanwhile my grandmother had a '92 Accord LX and that car always felt "right" to me.
I've got an 03 Monte Carlo (SS Pace Car) and honestly it doesn't feel that bad. The worst is some of the plastics on the dash and the leather on the steering wheel having it's surface finish coming off leaving a sticky feel. I never got to drive one when new but I guess I can't knock the flaws since it's almost 20 years old
I have a 98 Monte Carlo LS with 60,000 miles on it, the dash is soft touch on top the doors are velor, the door bottoms are carpeted the seats are velor the sound deadening is extensive the car is very quiet very ergonomically well thought out and very comfortable as a kid I always loved the lines of this car finally being able to own one as an adult and understanding what this car was designed to be it is an excellent vehicle for its time and I understand why they sold so many, your grandfather had excellent taste
I'm currently on my second Lumina, a 98' LTZ with the floor shifter. She's done almost 30,000 miles in my hands, and doesn't seem keen on stopping anytime soon. Most reliable car I've ever owned.
My mom’s 95 Monte Carlo only has 60,600 miles. Currently it is in the mechanic because it has overheated. Let’s see if everything gets fixed. Fun fact: since 2013 it has been sitting in the garage.
Sold that 2004 Buick LeSabre to my Uncle miss those comfortable seats.. But I’m a Toyota guy now my dad gave me his 2001 Camry as a project car replacing lots of parts. Probably the best car my dad ever had it for 14 years. Has the 3.0 V6 engine burns no oil at all. Had to get a rebuild trans last year but I’ll take 20 years for trans going out. Most modern cars today trans won’t last 5 to 10 years. Especially with the CVT transmissions that are very costly to fix. In the future want to buy a newer Toyota like a Tacoma truck, RAV4 or another Camry the new ones look really nice and sporty. Have to wait til the Market for cars to go down still I’ll drive my old Camry til it is right to time to get a newer car.
Had a 99 3.1 that died at 143K due to the infamous intake manifold gasket. Rode nice. Quiet. Cruised down the highway 70-80 no problem. Towards the end the paint started peeling off the back deck lid something fierce. Good car overall.
I remember when i was a child and these cars were still being manufactured. I always thought they were ugly. I remember getting to sit inside one at a car dealership and being very unimpressed with the seats and the interior. I felt the same way when the 97 Malibu came out.
these cars get bad mouthed a lot but these were basic economy cars . bigger and better than its predecessors in every way..for the low money they were reliable and plenty comfy....my mechanic said that gm got everything right with the lumina...like MW said it was a value leader...
Motorweek's notoriously slow 0-60 times evident here. Most other sources had these at 9 seconds flat and that is exactly what both of my 1996 Lumina LS's did with the 3100 engine.
I had several of these Chevy Lumina sedans all were blue except one 1 first generation 1993 Lumina Euro one 1995 LS two tone dark blue and gray one burgundy 1995 LS and one blue 1996 LS I always wanted a 98-99 Lumina LTZ with the sunroof and the 3800 series 2 engine
I know people who used to have a 95 one of these. They bought it hoping it would be a reliable improvement, but it was junk. When they traded it in around 2001, they were constantly dumping in coolant.
The first years with the 3100 were notorious for that. 95 was when GM started using the orange dexcool antifreeze. It would eat through lower intake manifold gaskets and head gaskets. GM eventually changed the gasket materials and the 3100 was a pretty reliable engine afterwards. I had a 2001 base model, i bought for commuting duty. Only thing I ever had to repair were the wheel bearings at around 150,000 miles.
My grandma had one of these in a blue/green color. Replaced a 1st gen Lumina which had replaced a Celebrity which had replaced an earlier Celebrity. The 1st gen Lumina and the 2nd Celebrity were both the "Euro" trim which was strange for a grandma-driven car. Don't know how that happened, maybe Grandpa was in a heckling mood on those two particular visits to the dealership?
Funny that styling was low on this car's priorities, because i always liked the way this lumina looked. Same with performance because i've seen a lot of potential in these, especially knowing the Gam 3800 v6 is so tunable and superchargable.
Everyone says how bland boring and cheap feeling they were. But remember hundreds of thousands of buyers bought them and they were driven billions of miles. Not everyone is a enthusiast and a lot of people just want a fairly inexpensive vehicle to go from point A to B with an occasional vacation trip. Apparently there enough of those people to keep them near the top of the sales chart for their production cycle.
Probably a good enough car, but not good for Chevy's reputation if the owners are disappointed in the interior quality and can get a comparable Asian car with a better interior for the same amount of money (just assuming)
Exactly man, when these first came out their styling was clean and almost revolutionary a lot calmer than the new for 96 Taurus that's why so many more sold in the Taurus it was a better car it was a reliable car it was a comfortable car,
I still see one of these every once in awhile remember several years back start seeing some on the roads all of sudden surprised. It was 1999 when wanted one of these at one time thought they were ugly as well until the car grew on me doing that time was huge diehard GM fan also loved the Monte Carlo believe the 3800 motors in these were great so probably why saw most of them. My barber used to cut my hair before his passing wife had '97 looked mint, also woman that went to my old church had a 1999 champagne color was wanted to sell but she said she really did want to get rid of it until her daughter sold her a '99 Expedition.
I use to own a 1998 Pontiac Grand AM GT sedan Had the same 3100 engine went 150 HP and 150 pound foot torque Did the horse power numbers went down in 3 years from 1995-1998?
Es rápido ,no tanto como los de hoy en día pero no es una tortuga .recuerdo el Magnum k (Dodge 400) con 2.2 turbo y 140 hp. Fueron muy rápidos en su momento y tomando en cuenta su pequeño motor de 4 cil
Just never understood why they had this lumina then put the monte Carlo on the same chassis and body shape but two doors.... sometimes they look alike in traffic
The Defector rental car because it was such a good car it was comfortable and reliable that's why you still see a lot of them still today and they became a de facto beater car because they kept going
Are you ignorant this was like 1997, you're bitching about a 26 year old video ?? You people wouldn't have survived the 90s everything would offend you there would have been no innovation
HAHAHA That thing is 100% a rental car!!! God I HATED those cars; they were beyond boring. They were pretty reliable I have to say and had a pretty loud AM/FM Cassette deck that loved bass. I used one for 5 years to deliver mail on a Rural Route with the column shifter and front bench seat which was wonderful for doing single road boxed. It took a pretty good beating and was also great in the snow up here in Canada with regular all-season tires. Other than that a BORING Grandmother car.
So it sounded like you enjoyed it for the most part. Nothing wrong with that. Driving that now doesn't look so boring in a sea of bland designs that all share the same styling, headlights and colors which are some sort of gray, silver, white, charcoal, black and a very modest blue. Kind of cringy and spooky if you think about it. "me too me too!"-said iguana excerpt from an old child's book.
This car is a great example why GM went bankrupt. Made cheap, feels cheap, looks cheap, and about ad exciting as a potato. People only bought this because it's cheap or a rental car. Camry and Accord were 1000x better
Gives every car from the beginning of time a scathing review for not having "more comprehensive gauges", barely says anything about the pitiful 3 gauge setup on the Lumina. Oh John, never stop shilling.
He definitely gave up on that expectation at some point, I think around the same time he stopped calling the Camry the "Cam-ray." He seemed to shift to low-mounted radios with too many small buttons as his bete-noire.
I am a retired G.M. tech bought a 99 Lumina brand new , its still has no rattles or clunks , 160,000 miles the only repairs was intake gaskets leaking coolant. This was one of G.M. finest cars built. Its the only new vehicle I ever bought new. Good gas mileage , roomy, quiet.
Still have a 1996 base with the p225 tires. Love the old "throaty" sound these 3.1 engines make it has especially in cold.
I have a 95 with 260k and I’ve only I’ve only ever had minor problems, thing is a beast
My parents had a ‘96 Lumina LS when I was a kid, that was the car we did everything in! Drove from Ohio to North Carolina a few times in it and even to Canada. They traded it in on a ‘03 Venture. My buddy also had a Lumina too, his was a 1999, and by the time he got it he just beat the hell out of it but he never could kill it
My mom had 2 Chevy Luminas; 1995 version from 2006-2010 and 1997 version from 2010-2013; and both of them hit almost 200,000 miles.
People today don't understand what these cars where when they were new, they were stylish and comfortable and very reliable for the most part that's why so many are still around today as beater cars because they kept going
I guarantee you at least there's at least one of these still driving around your town... it may be missing one or more wheel covers and at least half the paint's gone but it's still running.
Now comes with illegal substances and/or weapons 😀
Hhaha. Mines missing half the paint and interior is going to crap but she still runs and still peppy. Alloy wheels so no issue of losing a wheel cover.
That was an underrated car it was nicer than most people give it credit for and bulletproof. I always think it looked way better than the Taurus
Lol, no it wasn't, but it did look better.
I have one with 250,000 miles on the clock so yea, very bulletproof. Stock and original internals, Radiator has been replaced and all coolant hoses among other things but still running strong!
Surrounded in a sea of 1990'S GM plastic with the curb appeal of dry, white toast. I dated a girl in high school who's father was a deputy sheriff. He wrecked his 1997 Crown Vic and got issued one of these. He looked so damn depressed having to drive a Lumina while waiting on his car to come out of the shop.
Why? It's been a great car. Good pickup and acceleration for that 3.1. Have a 96 and it still runs and sounds good.
My grandfather had a '98 Monte Carlo with the 3.1 V6 and I can remember how bland and cheap that car felt even as a young kid. Meanwhile my grandmother had a '92 Accord LX and that car always felt "right" to me.
I've got an 03 Monte Carlo (SS Pace Car) and honestly it doesn't feel that bad. The worst is some of the plastics on the dash and the leather on the steering wheel having it's surface finish coming off leaving a sticky feel. I never got to drive one when new but I guess I can't knock the flaws since it's almost 20 years old
I have a 98 Monte Carlo LS with 60,000 miles on it, the dash is soft touch on top the doors are velor, the door bottoms are carpeted the seats are velor the sound deadening is extensive the car is very quiet very ergonomically well thought out and very comfortable as a kid I always loved the lines of this car finally being able to own one as an adult and understanding what this car was designed to be it is an excellent vehicle for its time and I understand why they sold so many, your grandfather had excellent taste
Your handsome
Yep 94 Euros were better
@@gsxellence how/ why were they better in your opinion?
I'm currently on my second Lumina, a 98' LTZ with the floor shifter. She's done almost 30,000 miles in my hands, and doesn't seem keen on stopping anytime soon. Most reliable car I've ever owned.
LMAO. and that exhaust leak is a "performance muffler". Not to mention gas fumes that emanate from every Chevy on the road made before 2000
@@lawrencelenerd3988 What leak? What muffler?
@@handsome4922 Best $450 you ever spent, I bet.
@@lawrencelenerd3988 it was a nice 450 but the best was my $4500 transmission
My 95 Lumina was a wonderful car. The car didn't even have a rattle inside when it was totaled at 160,000 miles.
We had 3 of these. A 1995 base, 1996 LS, and 1999 LS. They ran, and ran! Very well built too!
My mom’s 95 Monte Carlo only has 60,600 miles. Currently it is in the mechanic because it has overheated. Let’s see if everything gets fixed. Fun fact: since 2013 it has been sitting in the garage.
Dull but reliable. We loved Brad, our '95.
If you had the 3.8 liter that was the best engine for GM. Had that same engine in my ‘88 Park Ave and 2004 Buick Le Sabre
Sold that 2004 Buick LeSabre to my Uncle miss those comfortable seats.. But I’m a Toyota guy now my dad gave me his 2001 Camry as a project car replacing lots of parts. Probably the best car my dad ever had it for 14 years. Has the 3.0 V6 engine burns no oil at all. Had to get a rebuild trans last year but I’ll take 20 years for trans going out. Most modern cars today trans won’t last 5 to 10 years. Especially with the CVT transmissions that are very costly to fix. In the future want to buy a newer Toyota like a Tacoma truck, RAV4 or another Camry the new ones look really nice and sporty. Have to wait til the Market for cars to go down still I’ll drive my old Camry til it is right to time to get a newer car.
I had a '97 Lumina LS. Blue inside and out. loved it. great lookin and damn sure smooth. that little 3100 had a really nice noise
Chevy Lumina is great car. O love this car
My parents had one of these, got rid of it in 2015 but it had no issues whatsoever
Had a 99 3.1 that died at 143K due to the infamous intake manifold gasket. Rode nice. Quiet. Cruised down the highway 70-80 no problem. Towards the end the paint started peeling off the back deck lid something fierce. Good car overall.
“Sleek, upscale, and not like a rental car” lol..
Wow,that engine sounded like a farm tractor!
Mike + The Mechanics The Living Years is playing on the radio.
There's a reason you see 97 Camrys & Accords around but none of these. They were crap
I remember when i was a child and these cars were still being manufactured. I always thought they were ugly. I remember getting to sit inside one at a car dealership and being very unimpressed with the seats and the interior. I felt the same way when the 97 Malibu came out.
You were a kid, what the hell did you know?
@@21Piloteer i was very advanced a child. I skipped two grades in school and was always a straight A student. I think I was able to tell.
@@21Piloteer More than you.
Dabnis Brickey, so you had poor taste in cars even as a kid. What do you want? A medal?
@@melissacarterpresley5786 I’m sorry this car preowned 20 years later Is all you could afford.
these cars get bad mouthed a lot but these were basic economy cars . bigger and better than its predecessors in every way..for the low money they were reliable and plenty comfy....my mechanic said that gm got everything right with the lumina...like MW said it was a value leader...
No wonder GM needed $50B from taxpayers like me.
Motorweek's notoriously slow 0-60 times evident here. Most other sources had these at 9 seconds flat and that is exactly what both of my 1996 Lumina LS's did with the 3100 engine.
I had several of these Chevy Lumina sedans all were blue except one 1 first generation 1993 Lumina Euro one 1995 LS two tone dark blue and gray one burgundy 1995 LS and one blue 1996 LS I always wanted a 98-99 Lumina LTZ with the sunroof and the 3800 series 2 engine
Can't believe chevy had the audacity to turn this into a 2 door and call it a MONTE CARLO.
The 1980s Monte Carlo was pretty much a 2-door Malibu. 🤷♂
Needed it for Nascar
They built both alongside each other....these and the lumina carlo were everywhere in the late 90s lol ..
I know people who used to have a 95 one of these. They bought it hoping it would be a reliable improvement, but it was junk. When they traded it in around 2001, they were constantly dumping in coolant.
The first years with the 3100 were notorious for that. 95 was when GM started using the orange dexcool antifreeze. It would eat through lower intake manifold gaskets and head gaskets. GM eventually changed the gasket materials and the 3100 was a pretty reliable engine afterwards. I had a 2001 base model, i bought for commuting duty. Only thing I ever had to repair were the wheel bearings at around 150,000 miles.
@@alexbellotti8423 So yours was either a former rental car or government owned?
I never found out. Probably a rental. I was probably the 3rd or 4th owner. Bought it from a guy in Phoenix for 1700 bucks.
The official car of Thrifty
Also, it was everyone's company car. Dull.
Alamo, Avis, Enterprise and National
My grandma had one of these in a blue/green color. Replaced a 1st gen Lumina which had replaced a Celebrity which had replaced an earlier Celebrity. The 1st gen Lumina and the 2nd Celebrity were both the "Euro" trim which was strange for a grandma-driven car. Don't know how that happened, maybe Grandpa was in a heckling mood on those two particular visits to the dealership?
My mom had one when i was under 12yrs old n dang thing burned rubber easily, loved driving it..lol
These cars were SO awful against the Accord and especially the Camry. Comparing it to the Taurus was fair.
Funny that styling was low on this car's priorities, because i always liked the way this lumina looked. Same with performance because i've seen a lot of potential in these, especially knowing the Gam 3800 v6 is so tunable and superchargable.
White looks good on it, though most of these that i've seen in person were green or gold and those are both very good paintcodes.
@@WSNOI currently have a blue one and I personally think that’s the best color for the lumina
Everyone says how bland boring and cheap feeling they were.
But remember hundreds of thousands of buyers bought them and they were driven billions of miles.
Not everyone is a enthusiast and a lot of people just want a fairly inexpensive vehicle to go from point A to B with an occasional vacation trip.
Apparently there enough of those people to keep them near the top of the sales chart for their production cycle.
Probably a good enough car, but not good for Chevy's reputation if the owners are disappointed in the interior quality and can get a comparable Asian car with a better interior for the same amount of money (just assuming)
Exactly man, when these first came out their styling was clean and almost revolutionary a lot calmer than the new for 96 Taurus that's why so many more sold in the Taurus it was a better car it was a reliable car it was a comfortable car,
Hundreds of thousands were purchased... by rental car companies.
@@timothyhh and everyone who rented one....enjoyed it comfortably 😎
Still everywhere. The choice of the hood.
I havnt saw one of these cars in years
@@dabnisbrickey6527 I see them everywhere in the South.
@@redneon06 I live in Tennessee.
@@dabnisbrickey6527 Do you get your corn from a jar?
I remember a friend of mine having one of these back in 2018. The seats were so flimsy feeling and uncomfortable; you slide around a lot during turns.
3.1 used dexcool that ruined the intake manifold gaskets same engine went to
the 1997,t0 2005 buick century
would this be a reason why my 04 century constantly overheats while idling in traffic or waiting in line at a drive thru? any fix?
@@ka24de-t could be
Now it's not even a issue with the new gaskets, and coolant intervials.
I still see one of these every once in awhile remember several years back start seeing some on the roads all of sudden surprised. It was 1999 when wanted one of these at one time thought they were ugly as well until the car grew on me doing that time was huge diehard GM fan also loved the Monte Carlo believe the 3800 motors in these were great so probably why saw most of them. My barber used to cut my hair before his passing wife had '97 looked mint, also woman that went to my old church had a 1999 champagne color was wanted to sell but she said she really did want to get rid of it until her daughter sold her a '99 Expedition.
My mom had a couple of them when I was a kid. One was in water at one point also in a accident with my mom and the other had transmission issues
I use to own a 1998 Pontiac Grand AM GT sedan Had the same 3100 engine went 150 HP and 150 pound foot torque Did the horse power numbers went down in 3 years from 1995-1998?
Es rápido ,no tanto como los de hoy en día pero no es una tortuga .recuerdo el Magnum k (Dodge 400) con 2.2 turbo y 140 hp. Fueron muy rápidos en su momento y tomando en cuenta su pequeño motor de 4 cil
You can tell styling came in 5th LMAOOOO
Just never understood why they had this lumina then put the monte Carlo on the same chassis and body shape but two doors.... sometimes they look alike in traffic
I'd say the 1st generation Lumina was a better car in almost every aspect
good car but my god they rusted out like no tomorrow
Always rusty around the gas cap.
Such a watered down car with watered down interior. The defacto rental car.
The Defector rental car because it was such a good car it was comfortable and reliable that's why you still see a lot of them still today and they became a de facto beater car because they kept going
Could do with out the jazz tune in the background
Cry more
Are you ignorant this was like 1997, you're bitching about a 26 year old video ?? You people wouldn't have survived the 90s everything would offend you there would have been no innovation
Thr 70s porno music is perfect👌
HAHAHA That thing is 100% a rental car!!! God I HATED those cars; they were beyond boring. They were pretty reliable I have to say and had a pretty loud AM/FM Cassette deck that loved bass. I used one for 5 years to deliver mail on a Rural Route with the column shifter and front bench seat which was wonderful for doing single road boxed. It took a pretty good beating and was also great in the snow up here in Canada with regular all-season tires. Other than that a BORING Grandmother car.
So it sounded like you enjoyed it for the most part. Nothing wrong with that. Driving that now doesn't look so boring in a sea of bland designs that all share the same styling, headlights and colors which are some sort of gray, silver, white, charcoal, black and a very modest blue. Kind of cringy and spooky if you think about it. "me too me too!"-said iguana excerpt from an old child's book.
So much backseat room. I miss my gm car
This car is a great example why GM went bankrupt. Made cheap, feels cheap, looks cheap, and about ad exciting as a potato. People only bought this because it's cheap or a rental car. Camry and Accord were 1000x better
best car ever made with the caprice!
The 3.1 engine was not a long term engine.
i had this car piece of junk always breaking down cost a lot of money to keep it going !!!!!!!!!!
When gm tried to make a good car.
3.1 tick tick tick, embarrassing.
Gives every car from the beginning of time a scathing review for not having "more comprehensive gauges", barely says anything about the pitiful 3 gauge setup on the Lumina. Oh John, never stop shilling.
No kidding! He did say “sparse”.
He definitely gave up on that expectation at some point, I think around the same time he stopped calling the Camry the "Cam-ray." He seemed to shift to low-mounted radios with too many small buttons as his bete-noire.
The driver’s Ed car
Just another junky GM midsize car.
The Taurus was way better looking and outsold this car.