My Lumina

[mustang84]

I posted pics a very long time ago (2005ish), but I think a couple C&G crashes sent that thread into the abyss. So here are some more recent pics of the Lumina. It has some rust, hail damage, and the paint is starting to fade, but she still runs pretty well. It has about 142,000 miles on it now, which means I have put 62,000 miles on it since I bought it for $800 4 1/2 years ago. It's probably going to be with me for another six months, and then I'm looking to replace it with a used, RWD two-door of some type. With the way the economy is now, I've put off plans for a new car purchase until 2010.

Anyway, these pics span from over the last year or so.

[ZL-1]

Luminas were very popular in the Arabian Gulf. So much so that when the Holden sourced RWD model (Commodore) began to be sold there it wore the Lumina name, as it still does.

What was the difference if any between Euro and Z34 models?

[mustang84]

ZL-1: Do you have any pictures of an Arabian Lumina? I know what the current Holden-sourced ones look like, but did they sell W-bodies there too and were they identical to ours?

The Z34 was coupe only, while Euro could be had in coupe and sedan. Z34 had a 3.4L engine, while I think the Eurosport models were only equipped with the 3.1L (I'm not 100% positive on that however...there may have been a 3.4L option for the Euro models). Aesthetically, the Z34 was basically the same as a Euro coupe except with added ground effects and a slightly different from fascia and rear bumper. There might be a few more differences such as suspension, but I'm not really sure.

A Z34

Edited November 16, 2008 by mustang84

[z28luvr01]

Yes, later Euros did come with the 3.4L, but HP was down a bit as it only came with the automatic.

Your Lumina looks nice in those photos - brings back a lot of memories. My dad had a '90 Euro 3.1 that I learned to drive on. It gave him no trouble at all for the four years he owned it. I think it had wel over 200K miles on it when the guy my dad sold it to wrecked it.

[Camino LS6]

Sounds like some pretty low cost of ownership to me. :AH-HA_wink:

[!!!TED!!!]

You have a nice Lumina Mustang84! Raised white letter tires for the win! I'd say you got your moneys worth too.

Euro 3.4's are rare. There was one for sale near me when I was looking for my Achieva.

I was tempted, but it needed alot of maintenance, including all the brakes.

It was bought by someone, and it was for sale again a few months ago on craiglist (the new owner must not have had the stomach for the repairs)

It would make a helluva sleeper. 3.4 with dual exhaust, in a plain-jane sedan wrapper.

If I recall correctly, it was fairly low milage too.

Heres the car:

[ZL-1]

ZL-1: Do you have any pictures of an Arabian Lumina? I know what the current Holden-sourced ones look like, but did they sell W-bodies there too and were they identical to ours?

The Z34 was coupe only, while Euro could be had in coupe and sedan. Z34 had a 3.4L engine, while I think the Eurosport models were only equipped with the 3.1L (I'm not 100% positive on that however...there may have been a 3.4L option for the Euro models). Aesthetically, the Z34 was basically the same as a Euro coupe except with added ground effects and a slightly different from fascia and rear bumper. There might be a few more differences such as suspension, but I'm not really sure.

Thx for the explanation!

The Luminas I saw in Kuwait were the design after your car... not sure what model-years that is... mid-to-late 1990s?

Edited November 18, 2008 by ZL-1

[ocnblu]

It appears you've done a good job keeping it as nice as possible.

[trinacriabob]

I like their dashboard. A lot like the Regal's in that they have the "ravine" and uninterrupted cowl going across the top. Nice. Also, better with the console.

As can be expected, I liked the interior in burgundy. And I liked those that the had the tweed-like bucket seats. I think those were an "up" model.

What cracks me up is the occasional early 90s Lumina with the 2.5 L 4 cylinder. Lots of space under the hood. I think the base model may have even come WITHOUT A/C. Any knowledge as to how the 2.5 L 4 cyl. Luminas have held up, mileage wise?

[GMTruckGuy74]

I like your Lumina a lot. I remember the big ad push on these vehicles back in 1989 (the first time I saw all three <coupe, sedan, minivan> together was at the Franklin Mills Outlet Mall outside of Philly where I got a bunch of their intro catalogs). I just recently saw a '93 Z34 coupe in black at a local car show; the owner put some $$$ into fixing it up and adding a nice stereo and other modern updates. He showed me the trophy/plaque that he won (2nd place) from this year's All-GM Nationals show in Carlisle, PA.

[mustang84]

One thing that amazes me is how glossy the black paint still is. There are some small areas on the bumper and rear of the roof where the clearcoat is wearing off, but overall the paint still has a really deep shine to it.

Bob: I too like the dash design. The ravine actually comes in handy to set stuff sometimes. The material fit really isn't that great, but the actual materials are pretty decent for a 90s family sedan and put many modern cars to shame as far as soft touch surfaces go. I like the steering wheel stitching and design too.

[fightingbee]

Nice Lumina.

My Mom had a silver '91 3.1L non-Euro Lumina for quite some time. It was a really great car and her W that replaced it ('99 Regal) has been superb as well.

I've never even seen one of the rare 5spd. Z34's in person before but sure would love to drive one sometime.

[vonVeezelsnider]

I have many fond memories of Lumina Euros and Regal sedans rented from Alamo when used to go to Phoenix twice a year.

[MyerShift]

I have always loved the 1990's W-body coupes like the Grand Prix, Cutlass Supreme, and to a slightly lesser extent, the Lumina whose Z34 was my pick.

Your Lumina does look very nice!

[A Horse With No Name]

Sounds like some pretty low cost of ownership to me. :AH-HA_wink:

Like Car and Driver once said, most GM cars run poorly longer than most cars run at all.

I can beat his cost of ownership. We had a guy they paid to clean up our construction sites who bought one for $1200 with 90k miles. He now has about 260K on the same car...other than tires and brakes he has done nothing.

This stuff just runs forever.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

One thing that amazes me is how glossy the black paint still is. There are some small areas on the bumper and rear of the roof where the clearcoat is wearing off, but overall the paint still has a really deep shine to it.

Bob: I too like the dash design. The ravine actually comes in handy to set stuff sometimes. The material fit really isn't that great, but the actual materials are pretty decent for a 90s family sedan and put many modern cars to shame as far as soft touch surfaces go. I like the steering wheel stitching and design too.

This actually looks better than half of the stuff built today, IMHO.

[trinacriabob]

This actually looks better than half of the stuff built today, IMHO.

Well, yeah, having an uninterrupted cowl, instead of these pods and clusters we have today*, gives a sense of more spaciousness. Not only that, everything was in a logical place and the seating positions / amount of glass are just right for comfortable motoring.

*not that they aren't visually interesting