How Many Miles on Your Lumina

I have a 96 lumina 3.1 I purchased a month ago from my work for 250 bucks. It has 320k miles on it and still goin strong! Original engine and tranny. No rebiulds just routine maint. and a intake gasket. Im lovin my old boat. I got it to drive back and fourth to work but I drive it all the time. My 04 z71 just sits in the driveway lol.


My '97 Lumina hit 320,909 miles yesterday, and its still strong, the only thing i had to replace was the head gasket once.

1998 lumina 173,816 with a full engine and transmission replacement

284K on original engine, just replaced eng.(spun a bearing) with used one has 70K, put in new timing set and rod & main bearings.

A little late to comment on this but........95 Lumina 3.1 with 204,000 on it today. The only things (other than the fluids, belts and tires) that have been replaced since owning it, is the water pump and passenger rear brake reservoir. It still has the original battery from 1995 but she is losing some paint.

96' 130,000..no major repairs..water pump, starter,

Wow. Guess I have baby mileage lol. 134,500 on the clock, original engine, tranny rebuilt by NYPD. All thats gonna change come August, gettin' a rebuild on the engine and starting to build my suspension.:naughty:

'92, 3.1, 159,765 miles. bad struts and fuel pump replaced last year. ignition control module today and ball joint broke, too. however, all parts were original to the car, as are the spark plug wires and who knows what else. i am hard on cars, i don't watch out for potholes or slow down on railroad tracks, so, for a 17 year old car, that is pretty good. always starts right up, no matter what the weather and talk about get up and go! i love this car. i do have some rust around the lower body, but this is Michigan after all. i would recommend a Lumina to anyone considering buying used. the newer models, i don't know anything about.

My 96 3.1 has 176k on original motor running strong and smooth. Original owner told me he had replaced some of the upper engine components.

My mom just bought a '97 w/3.1, 76,000 mi. Am doing tune-up & LOF this weekend.

I have owned My 1990 2 Door Euro since 1991, and bought it with just 10,000 miles.
It now has 272,000 miles on it. Original Motor and transmission etc. Went thru a few ECUs, lots of rear brakes, a Headliner, a paint job, and it just keeps going. Although I have some idle issues where it hunts for idle when warm/closed loop, and I'll solve it pretty soon. But the best part, EVERYTHING WORKS! At 20 years old, that's just about as good as my '55 Chevy.
VIN 2G1WN14T0L9269737 in New Jersey

I finally retired my daughter's Lumina after 178K and replaced it with a 2001 Impala. The newer car is still a W-body so it may have a chance. With all these examples of quarter-million mile Luminas represented here, tell me again WHY I'd bother looking at a Honda or Toyota. That Lumina was in two accidents and both were walk-aways. One was with a snow plow and required a hefty bit of repair (straightening the floor), but the body integrity spoke for itself. I'm very thankful she wasn't in a Civic in that episode, or I wouldn't be becoming a grandfather soon.

What really did the car in for me was the rust. Once the rockers and floor rails start going, it's time to recycle. I would have driven that car any distance without hesitation if it weren't for the salt-induced corrosion. Had GM done a better job with galvanizing the rockers and floor, everyone would be driving Luminas.

I have had my 98 lumina parked/garaged for about 2 years, needs the LIM. 2nd time, 1st replacement was plastic around 2002, before i knew about the pre-felpro improved gasket. torqued it perfectly and it still failed. Been cranking and driving around the parking lot, but worried about the tranny once i get it going again. going to backflush the coolant passages with water/air because of all the sludge from oil/coolant mixing pray the heater core doesnt eventually clog. using regular antifreeze this time

have the magnaflow direct fit cat in the garage - my cat is toast no doubt from the coolant, and going to go down and pull the heads, blast, paint, do some light machining on them. check cylinders and replace all gaskets, clean the heads, replace lifters maybe springs, the 100k mile overdue timing belt/chain :)

car's been in the family since new, bought it from my sister when it was 8 months old, her company car before she quit to raise a family.

..having more fun in the dodge ram forums now than lumina forums :)

I have a 1990 lumina that just turned 85,000. If i keep changing the oil every 2300 and keeping up on maintenance it should last at least another 100k

Mine is a 2000, with a 3.1 And she has 254750 miles on her. Doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil. Has all the power she had when I got her with 32,376 no major repairs either. So take care of yours and you might just be able to will it to yer grand kids :D

1998 (base model) 3.1 litre .bought with about 45,000 miles and now has 120,000 miles . replaced intake manifold with a felpro. replaced alternator. replaced belts and water pump before they expired. several brake jobs performed and brakes still lousey as usual . coolant level sensor malfunctioned and i just disconnected it. car refuses to track well. all in all better than the average car on the road and i,ve owned about 40 used cars.

I have to add my girlfriends car to this list. 2000 Lumina, last oil change it had 211,000. The only things replaced, one battery, water pump and struts. Still has original plugs and still runs like a clock with gas mileage 28-32 mpg.

1996 3.1L with 220,000 miles. I purchased it when it had 50,000 miles

I have a 95 3.1 with 204000 miles on it. Just had to fix blown head gasket at 193000. Surfaced heads and all new gaskets. Don't like the aluminum heads, there was erosion on the mating surfaces that I put RTV on. Don't think it will hold that long. Cross my fingers.

I have a 1997 3.1L with 156,235 miles on it. Original engine and transmission. It still has enough power and runs great and has no oil leaks or radiator fluid leaks. But I have done alot of routine maintenance and repairs my self since I got the car back in 2003 with 70,000 miles. I have replaced brake pads, shoes, and rotors, thermostat, 2 fuel injectors, lower and upper intake manifold gasket, head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, a/c compressor and dryer, front strut cartridges and rear strut assemblys and changed transmission fluid every 60,000 and oil every 3,000 miles. Still looks new from the outside, no rust or paint peeling. Hope it will last another 100,000.

I have a 1995 Lumina with over 207,000 miles and still running pretty good, haven't had much work done but the usual tuneups & repairs. Now just having problems with my CV Joints, so not a bad deal for a car I paid $2000.00 for.

I've had a 97, 3.1 for about 3 months. paid 1k for it. it had 76k miles when i bought it. now it has 78k. i replaced warped rotors, surpentine belt, air filter and wiper blades. check engine light was on so i took it to autozone. autozone put scan tool on it. EGR Valve was stuck. i took EGR Valve off and cleaned it with some spray and a small knife. check engine light went off and thus far has not come back on. all 4 tires have great tread depth but i had to raise air pressure 2 factory specifications which is 30 psi, rotate tires and get them spin balanced. cv boots look great. i will keep an eye on them. interior is great with brand new sound system. all electric windows work, as well as electric locks. a/c works great. car has nice ride and power. it needs a little body work. i took it on a 800 mile trip. it ran great.

3rd light works but tail lights don't, why would GM wire tale lights in to turn signal switch circuitry? i smell engine coolant but intake manifold is not eating much coolant yet. im keeping an eye on coolant level. i hear that this car has an upper & lower intake manifold gasket. dealer wants $900 or more to fix manifold gasket factory defect. my budget is certainly not prepared to shell out that type of money. overall i really like this vehicle

Last Fall (2009) I bought my son his first car. A 2-door, 1993, Gold Lumina Euro. I got it for $700. It had 197,742 miles on it. I am the 3rd owner of the car. The seller bought it in 1995 and seems to have taken good care of the car.

It now has 203,000 miles. It idles silky smooth, always starts, and has a lot of pep.

We just had it PA Inspected. The mechanic said wow - it has a new gas tank, exhaust system, and tires. He also said the half shaft, ball joint, and tie rod end on the passenger side are new. One problem he said I am going to have is that the rubber boots on the driver's side half shaft, tie rod end, and ball joint are deterriorated and won't hold any grease.

All the little stuff in the car still works fine - power windows, rear window defroster, interior lights, electronic locks, cruise control, etc.

The one problem is the sound system. Only the back speakers are working. I don't know if it is the radio or speakers that are shot. The dashboard speakers look like they would be a pain to replace. I will dig into this problem when the weather breaks.

The steering column switch for the turn signals is a little shaky. They quit working. I took it to the mechanic. He said you can spend $300 for the switch, or "fix" it by engaging the flashers and then engaging the turn signals. That did the trick and they have worked correctly ever since. It also seems to have "tightened" up the turn signal lever.

The car uses absolutely no oil and the transmission shifts flawlessly.

The car runs so flawlessly, that I am considering getting the little bit of surface rust taken care of and having it repainted.

Hopefully, posting on this site doesn't doom the car!

1993 lumina euro 311,899 didnt have to do nothing for her other than oil changes every 5 wks. drove 3000 miles in 5 wk period. she didnt get her first break down untill well over 300,000 and that was heater core then slowly other things but still running strong with minor things.

mine has 54,000 on it .its a 96

I jist paid a mechanic to replace my intake manifold gasket (and thermostat). Now, it's not running right and there is NO antifreeze in the overflow AT ALL! It ran perfectly until now..other than the oil in the overflow tank. Hence the intake gasket replacement.

I've had a 97, 3.1 for about 3 months. paid 1k for it. it had 76k miles when i bought it. now it has 78k. i replaced warped rotors, surpentine belt, air filter and wiper blades. check engine light was on so i took it to autozone. autozone put scan tool on it. EGR Valve was stuck. i took EGR Valve off and cleaned it with some spray and a small knife. check engine light went off and thus far has not come back on. all 4 tires have great tread depth but i had to raise air pressure 2 factory specifications which is 30 psi, rotate tires and get them spin balanced. cv boots look great. i will keep an eye on them. interior is great with brand new sound system. all electric windows work, as well as electric locks. a/c works great. car has nice ride and power. it needs a little body work. i took it on a 800 mile trip. it ran great.

3rd light works but tail lights don't, why would GM wire tale lights in to turn signal switch circuitry? i smell engine coolant but intake manifold is not eating much coolant yet. im keeping an eye on coolant level. i hear that this car has an upper & lower intake manifold gasket. dealer wants $900 or more to fix manifold gasket factory defect. my budget is certainly not prepared to shell out that type of money. overall i really like this vehicle

Mine '97 has 338,xxx miles on it now and is showing transmission problems. I'm going to be driving it til it can't be driven now more.

96 lumina 3100 ..
speedo stoped at 188,000 but I am sure it is over 200,000.00 just no way to verify it .. and still running but needs the overheating issue and the short in the dash resolved before we bury it ..

I have a "look at me red" original as possible 1992 chevy lumina euro with 186,000 miles..bought it in '99 with 125,000 miles. I went looking for a newer car a few months ago for about $2000-$3000, ultimately was interested in the 1998 Lumina GTZ as I was quite satisfied with the performance and handling of my 1992 lumina version. Worst issueof my '92: no cup holders! Anyway, the 1998 had just as much rust as my '92, and was a bland champagne color, without the huge '92 spoiler. I've replaced the radiator-new, gas tank-new, front and rear suspension (used) and have just done the regular maintenance such as tune-ups, oil changes every 3000 miles, also just purchased an air compressor online for $200 even..new..I've been boosting my car with the cans of R134a, but by chance saw the air compressor, and before buying my mechanic said my old one was leaking so I probably saved about $200 for the compressor alone..He's a body man also, and painted only the parts (metal) on the car that were rusted or faded, the tops of the bumpers, and the spoiler were faded, and the inside of the rear door rocker panels, and some of the wheel wells and one spot on the roof had a leak(rust) at the top of the glass where it meets the metal, glass was removed without cracking. I had all this done for $2300..I was looking for a new model, but I know what I've put into this car, and didn't want to buy someone else's headache..the motor runs fine, except the air leakages, no skips, firing fine. I will be paying $100 for refurbishing the interior and exterior where the parts weren't painted..the doors, dings, and a few scratches, and getting rid of a few water stains on my seats, which should all come out of the gray material, and I purchased seat covers delivered for total $21.99 for low-back bucket seats@ jcwhitney.com..I also bought a "molded" carpet pad for the dash, and it looks great! I'm trying not to stick anything to the real dash underneath as with the heat I think it will stain the plastic, which has turned red in places, and my front air defrost is just starting to bend, not cracked yet. The refurbisher will install my seat covers, clean the seats first, carpet, mats, he's even going to pick up the car and drive it back...! I've had really good luck with this car, it still gets looks and looks almost new now..I do have ONE TIP! I just purchased 1/2" red vinyl tape from a local sign co. and the red couldn't be a better match! I am going to layer this over the red insert of the black molding all around the car, and then store the rest in the house so it won't get too heated in a shed. The price to do my car like 4 times..cost me $25...I looked at the piece in the back, which is the only part which is flaking...I think it's due to the body work guy polishing the top of the bumper..but oh well, lol..I can DO IT! I had a 1993 silver euro without the rear spoiler, black wheel opening trim, and electric driver's seat. I saw this car every day when I went to work, got talking to the girl who I found out owned it, and the dealership was taking her "for a ride", pardon the pun! Anyway, I gave her the top price they would give her, and the next winter, I got in a 9 car pile-up in a winter storm..That's why I'm disabled..This is a reliable car, had a few problems, most weren't difficult to fix. It was really difficult to find a newer used car with less problems so I think the money and time it took to get it finished was well worth it..The steering is solid, the ride is comfortable. If you've got one, think about it before selling it! I have the automatic 3 speed 3.1 Liter v-6, haven't had any problems with it except with the thermostat..BY THE WAY!, I'm looking for the gray lug nut caps 1 5/8" long, 3/4" hex point to hex point on the top, and 1" round at the bottom, that came with the aluminum wheels, and also I need the front emblem 4"? for the grille to the car..I hope you enjoyed my short story and if you know where to find these last 2 items please answer me ok? Take care, Good luck! Diane...I also own a 1979 Trans Am silver 10th anniversary rare w/ 400 4-speed, my fifth one, now you're talking fast! lol..But I love my Lumina! :evillol:

92 Z34 it has 110,000 miles on it cause it sits broken down more than it could be driven

Got a 91 Lumina 3.1, currently has 161,000 miles
got it May 08, with 72,000 miles

no major work been done to it, just the routine stuff, oh except the bolts on the tranny pan were all loose and it was dripping ATF a lot, it was tightened, and now right as rain.

'96 Lumina, 3.1 liter now has 260,000 miles.

I bought it in 1997 as a young family man with young kids. Gave it to my son in 2006 for high school and now my daughter (begrudgingly) is using it as a junior in high school. I have one more daughter now in 6th grade who is praying that the car won't last until she's driving, but I wouldn't bet on that. LOL

Lord, my Lumina is a Baby with its 170.000 miles on it compare to some other here. It looks really that this is a great car.
I replaced just regular maintanance parts like manifolt, pads, pcv, aso, but I need a new A/C compressor. Any not so expensive recommendations?

1998 Base Lumina 3.1L w/ 224,000 miles - Original Engine & Transmission
I've done the following work to it over the past year or so:

-Repainted (Had the problematic factory white paint that peeled)
-Added Spoiler from a Monte Caro and the Trunk Bezel from an LTZ
-Replaced Water pump, Radiator, Hoses, Coolant Expansion Tank
-New PCV valve and tubing
-Replaced faded wiper arms with new ones from GM dealership
-Replaced all engine mounts, body mounts, sway bar bushings on rear & front, and new trailing arms
-Replaced interior carpet, dashboard parts, door panels, speedometer w/ tach, and seats w/ ones form an LS/LTZ
-New catalytic converter, O2 sensors, resonator assembly, muffler
-New alternator, belt tensioner, battery, spark plugs, rebuilt fuel injectors, replaced engine heat shield
-New engine gaskets (Head gaskets, intakes, valve covers, exhaust gaskets, oil pump drive)
-New wheel bearings for front (rears next month)
-New brake booster and master cylinder
-Rebuilt front and rear brakes with new components
-New turn signal switch, level, brake light switch
-Replaced both ball joints, both control arms, and inner & outer tie rods

96 Lumina with 340000KM Runs Great!! Did the following work myself:

Fuel Tank (NEW)
Brake Pads and rotors (NEW)
brake shoes and drums (NEW)
Fixed leaking a/c (Live in FL, that was one of the first things!)
A/C Condenser (USED)
Alternator NEW
Battery cables (What a pain, diagnosing that!)
got to get Paint job, its BAAADDDD!!!

1998 Lumina, have had for 2 years.

Turn signal switch :mad:
Fuel Pump :mad:
Driver side Rear Trailer arm :crying:


Added Modification:

Made access panel for fuel pump :biggrin:


So far...lolz!

I was given a '97 Lumina LS for ten hours of lawncare work. It has 250,000 miles on it but not in a mechanical sense considering i got it from an older couple who didn't beat the tar out of it. I have to finish replacing the intake gasket on it and give it a tune-up but other than that i should be good. i am stuck on the push rods right now because i don't have the book and i can't remember if you have to remove/replace them in a certain order or not and what the torque specs are for each bolt. If anyone has that information and would be willing to pass it along that would be great.

thanks

1998, 209,000 now.=
looks and runs great.
replaced alternator = 75k
i m gasket =?k
all ignition wires,etc. =?k
both tie rods =?k
new a/c comp = ?k
radiator = ?k
water pump =?k
harmonic balancer = ?k
wiper switch and turn signal switch several times. finally bought delco and both ok now.
several serp belts, and brake parts,etc.,etc.
still running on original struts.
monte carlo leather steering wheel from salvage yard.= ?k
new chinese head light lenses =?k

old chevy caprice type (?) nice hub caps from salvage yard.
tinted windows lightly all around.

recently moved front passenger seat to drivers side and bought a salvage yard seat for $25. for passenger side.

Bought 1997 Lumina with 20K miles. Now has 156K. Replaced water pump, A/C pump, rear struts, lower intake manifold gaskets, fuel pump, coolant temp sensor. Was looking almost like new until the wife slid into somebody. Enough damage to total the car. I bought the salvage. She has returned.

96 with 164k on it. Replaced water pump 2x fuel pump at 150k AC compresser at 140k Other than that just regular oil changes

My 87 Lumina left me in the winter of 2013:banghead:

1995 3.1L w/ 182K
Mostly city miles of short, 5mi trips to work and back.
Acquired ~5 years back when it had 145K and was not in running condition.
Car is originally from up North...severely rusted underneath.
Trans was just rebuilt before it broke down, so that is why I took the gamble.

During the first couple of years I replaced....
Intake manifold gasket (for the oil in the coolant of course)
Entire A/C overhaul (except for evaporator core)
Alternator
Water pump
Fuel pump
Gas tank
Signal turn multi-switch
Belt and all hoses (upper heater hose twice)
Headlight lenses
All the usual maintenance stuff...plugs, wires, battery, tires, etc.

Other than that, just oil changes and a few minor quirks not worth worrying about. Seem to be getting pressure build up in the fuel tank recently for some reason and have a post going on that. All the small stuff still works...power windows, locks, dash lights, etc.

In short, definitely was (and still is) worth the gamble and better than "renting to own" a car from the bank for $500/month. Although if anything else major goes at this point, then that will probably mark the end.

Closely examine your brake lines. With that much rust, you are sure to have nasty looking ones, unless, of course, they've been replaced.

As well as fuel lines, cradle/cradle bolts, trailing arms, etc.....

my 1998 now has about 210,000.
only major was img and also had tranny rebuilt around 170,000.
engine has a slight miss in it now . plugs and ignition wires replaced around 80,000 miles.
I,ll probly replace them now and see what happens.

gotta leather monte carlo steering wheel from salvage yard and it feels great.
threw away original drivers 60% seat. moved front passenger seat to drivers side. bought a seat at salvage yard for passenger side.
it feels great.
found out that delco parts are much better than any made in china e-bay parts.

1998, 209,000 now.=
looks and runs great.
replaced alternator = 75k
i m gasket =?k
all ignition wires,etc. =?k
both tie rods =?k
new a/c comp = ?k
radiator = ?k
water pump =?k
harmonic balancer = ?k
wiper switch and turn signal switch several times. finally bought delco and both ok now.
several serp belts, and brake parts,etc.,etc.
still running on original struts.
monte carlo leather steering wheel from salvage yard.= ?k
new chinese head light lenses =?k

old chevy caprice type (?) nice hub caps from salvage yard.
tinted windows lightly all around.

recently moved front passenger seat to drivers side and bought a salvage yard seat for $25. for passenger side.

08/08/2018 now about 275,000 miles.
still running smooth. but vacuum lines are causing a/c to occasionally default to windshield.= work in progress.

98 3.1 with 128k.

Two words: VISOR CLIP!!!

About to replace those leaky intake gaskets and browsing the forums for insight on what to expect.

No repairs just maintenance.

1998 lumina visor clip .
I had problems with them also.
Finally I examined the clip closely.
It actually has a adjustable clip thingy built into it.
you must unclip it when you push it into the headliner.
After it is in the headliner, then use a very small screwdriver or such and push the little adjustable clip thing in and that should fix the problem.
it won,t be bulletproof, but it should do the job unless you really man handle it.

1998 base Lumina. has about 280,000. miles on it now.
original engine.
tranny rebuilt around 175,000 miles.

head scratching nowadays=
1) vacuum leak causing a/c to default to defrost mode.

and
2) a very small coolant leak, passenger side , drops on back side corner of engine block , nearest to firewall. leak location unknown.
possibly coming from timing chain cover area ???

98 base Lumina.

NOTE= if your drivers seat(60%er) is worn out=
go to the junk yard and get you a passenger side(40%er) same color for about $25.
It will bolt right in place. Often a passenger seat will be like new because many cars are for a one person commuter.
Plus you,ll have a space between the seats where you can place some old used console.
I got my console from a 2003 pontiac vibe and it was easy to mount.

1998 base Lumina. has about 280,000. miles on it now.
original engine.
tranny rebuilt around 175,000 miles.

head scratching nowadays=
1) vacuum leak causing a/c to default to defrost mode.

and
2) a very small coolant leak, passenger side , drops on back side corner of engine block , nearest to firewall. leak location unknown.
possibly coming from timing chain cover area ???

about 287,000 miles. still leaking . not mixing with the oil. not overheating. about a quart a week.