Ok guys... haven't posted in awhile and I need some opinions. My friend's neighbor (elderly woman in her early 80's) has a 1999 Chevy Lumina that she and her husband bought new. It currently has 60k miles and she is looking to sell it for $1,800. As I understand it, this was their "summer" car and they were snowbirds for years. They apparently would use a second vehicle to go away and the Lumina was parked every winter...hence the low mileage. My friend said it is in excellent condition with a spotless interior and no visible rust. I am going to assume it has the 3.1L V6...don't have a lot of details. I know that if original the intake gasket would need replacement ad well as fluids, etc. The woman's husband passed s few months ago and she wants it to go to a "good home". My friend said she had known the lady for years and could probably get her to consider selling it to me. What do you think considering the mileage and price?...
1999 Chevy Lumina w/60k original miles for $1,800...would you buy?
- Thread starter oilmaven
- Start date
no
If it runs, yes.
If it looks good, runs decently, these days it’s worth a lot more than $1800!
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2020
- Messages
- 773
$1,800 and in excellent condition? Definitely. Check the oil for coolant, and the coolant for oil (a bad intake gasket on the 3.1 will cause either to happen). If there's coolant in the oil, then maybe pass it up. The 3.4 (if equipped) is also a bigger pain to work on for general maintenance.
Edited to add: I owned a Monte Carlo (3.1) from this era, and practically everything failed on it (water pump, fuel pump, alternator, heater core, etc.) at around 100,000 miles. It was all cheap and easy (even the heater core) to fix on my own, but if you're not mechanically inclined then consider your purchase carefully.
Edited to add: I owned a Monte Carlo (3.1) from this era, and practically everything failed on it (water pump, fuel pump, alternator, heater core, etc.) at around 100,000 miles. It was all cheap and easy (even the heater core) to fix on my own, but if you're not mechanically inclined then consider your purchase carefully.
Last edited:
Its a beater that cost $1800, if you are OK dealing with Chevy issues from that era than go for it.. Problem is if you find a few things you need to spend money on for repair, you can't talk a widow down in price, or can you?
I know this car could be a huge money pit... defective gaskets (a given unless already replaced) plus the other potential other issues for these cars (trans, steering rack, a/c issues, etc). Even with stellar maintenance and a pristine body it would probably be a "nickel and dimer". Still, a 23 year old car w/60k for $1,800 in this market sounds tempting. I'm going to listen to my "little voice" and experience with GM products of this era and take a pass on this one.
If you go into it eyes wide open that it won't be problem free then you could end up with a decent ride for cheap. 3 years ago I bought a 99 s-10 with 50k miles on it and I had to replace intake manifold gaskets, radiator and the catalytic converter and my mother has been driving it regularly ever since with no issues.. I think the guy before me replaced the water pump and the a/c compressor right before the intake gaskets blew and he was done with it. Granted I think an S-10 with the 4.3 was probably a more reliable vehicle from the start than a Lumina.
Good move. I purchased a 2002 ford Taurus with 100k on the clock.. It was driven about 5k a year had zero rust and had not a paint flaw on it.. I know these cars well, as I previously took the same exact year and car up to 300k while I was 12 years younger.
12 years ago I was younger and more willing to fix the quirks these cars have, failure items that existed on ever car produced. I mis-remembered the work as manageable and absolutely predictable at X amount of miles. Purchased car without a second thought.
As I started digging into it, I found it had original antifreeze and the heater core was plugged (should have predicted that). Easy stuff, but I found my patience was not as it was, and I literally was overwhelmed by all the crap I needed to do at once to get it up to snuff.
Wish I just didn't purchase it now as my commuter / beater car. Like you the price was great and a rust free car is something you will not find normally in NYS. I'm whacking away at everything, but I just loathe it now.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
- Messages
- 29,558
I always thought those were good looking cars. I'd buy it!
I would say maybe, but only because this market is crazy and I had made some good memories with mine.
I had a 2001 Lumina for about 4 years. I had to replace the first transmission at 55k, the second made it to about 130k, then I got rid of it. It had also developed a lifter noise that would present itself on every cold start for the last 30k or so miles that I owned it. Other than that it was a good simple car that never left me stranded.
I had a 2001 Lumina for about 4 years. I had to replace the first transmission at 55k, the second made it to about 130k, then I got rid of it. It had also developed a lifter noise that would present itself on every cold start for the last 30k or so miles that I owned it. Other than that it was a good simple car that never left me stranded.
The Lumina wasn`t great new and didn`t improve with age. Have had some experience with a family members and after making several repairs they had good luck for the next couple years when it started to dissolve. 50/50 chance any car that old won`t Nickle and dime you to death.
JHZR2
Staff member
Neither the age nor the low mileage bother me. I have cars twice that age with barely more miles that I would drive across country tomorrow.
But it requires a reasonable look-over, that’s for certain.
But it requires a reasonable look-over, that’s for certain.
