I received my beloved silver Lumina a couple of years ago from my father who couldn't manage to sell it and decided that I needed a car anyway. For the short time that I've had it, I have had next to no trouble with the vehicle. It has always started for me, and I live in Winnipeg, Canada. I once left it unplugged overnight in -30*C weather and it still started. Although I won't be doing that again, it proved how reliable the car was.

The 3.1L engine gives out the required balance of power and efficiency for everyday driving, and the ride is fairly smooth and silent. I have had no problems with traction on a variety of surfaces, and the acceleration is good enough to keep ahead of traffic. The interior of the car is one of the strong points. It's very comfortable and spacious. I can fit many passengers and have had no complaints about leg room or other space problems. The inside is very well insulated, as I can only faintly hear what's going on outside the vehicle. I don't have much to say about the exterior of the car. It may be difficult to park properly for smaller individuals due to the long nose of the car, but I have had no problems with this and have learned to adjust. The stereo system works well enough, so you may turn it up to a level above background noise. The ABS system is very effective and triggers with the slightest loss of traction. This has probably saved my life more than once in difficult weather, and is a very strong point of the vehicle.

I have had some problems, however. Shortly after obtaining my car, the left cancel spring stopped working, and I must manually turn off my left turn signal. The horn also requires a bit more pressure to activate than originally. Some of the gauges, mainly the gas and water temperature, dance around from empty to full at random times. The locks tend to fail on you if someone is attempting to open the doors as you unlock them, and they often stick after repeated use. When reversing, applying the brake produces a squeaking noise (I have had this checked, and it is not a problem that needs fixing). The CD drive on my particular Lumina suffers from skipping on rough roads and occasionally has a CD reading Error, but re-inserting the disc solves that problem.

There are 150000km clocked on the vehicle, and there have been no engine issues or any mechanical failures otherwise. I recommend this vehicle to anyone who is looking for something that will not fail them in any kind of difficult weather, but I would advise those who cannot afford some maintenance to shy away from this particular vehicle. For a person of my age, the Lumina has and will serve me well for some time, at least I hope so.


Condition: Used
Model Year: 1995
Model and Options: Automatic, ABS, LS