We bought our '95 Lumina in '98 for $10,000. We thought this price a bargain for two reasons: My father and I believe Chevys are easy to maintain, and the previous owned took pristine care of the vehicle.

In the two years we've owned this vehicle, the Lumina has never let us down. Even though the car is pushing 6 years old ( the age most Chevy's start to act up ), the Lumina has given us no problems with it's engine, drivetrain, or chassis. This Lumina is also safe, fuel efficient, and drives well on snow and ice. The 3.1L V6 ( 160hp ), which Chevy carried over from the previous model Lumina, has ample passing power. We've seen in the neighborhood of 33mpg on the highway. 4 wheel ABS, in concert with the duel front airbags, give reassurance that we would be kept safe in the event of a collision.

In the course of owning this vehicle, our family has stumbled upon two glaring design problems:

1.) AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS- First I should explain how GM designed these door locks. When you push the LOCK/UNLOCK button, the electrical current is sent to a relay which actuates a DC motor ( with brushes, an old design). The motor in turn pushes a rod to unlock the door. Simple and reliable right? Nothing could be farther from the truth. When Chevy designed this system, they apparently forgot that people will be operating it, and people make mistakes. Have you ever been outside a vehicle when your friend unlocks the doors, and you accidentally pulled on the handle simultaneously? Many people in my family have. With GM's lock system this mistake will bend the rods unlocking the door. This will make the door's automatic lock inoperable. This design problem seems to be an old one, since my '87 S-10 Blazer's passenger door lock was broken in the same fashion. It's amazing to me that GM hasn't weeded this problem out in all these years!

2.) GREY FABRIC INTERIOR- GM has always heralded their Scotch Guard fabric interiors to be durable and easy to clean. I beg to differ! Even at the time of purchase ( 3 years old! ), the car's interior had stains that we've be unable to remove. It should be noted that we bought the car from a grandmother that only drove the car to CHURCH! If the interior can't handle that type of light use, it can't handle anything!

Those are the only chronic design problems with the Lumina we've encountered. Keep them in mind when searching for a used Lumina. We've been pleasantly surprised with the car's reliability, and plan to keep the vehicle for the foreseeable future.