We can never quite peg it, but Mr. Regular has a knack for nailing various cars throughout Regular Car Reviews. The epiphany of each vehicle towards the end resonates oh so well.
That goes for the 1990 Chevrolet Lumina, a vehicle entangled in childhood memories for some of us the official vehicle of 1990s parking lots. Did the Lumina conquer like General Motors thought it would? No. But it’s an intriguing car nonetheless.
With a 3100 V6 engine and four-speed automatic, this was to be the brand’s entry-level family sedan. Except, Ford was on top of their game with the Taurus. And Honda was building Accords. And Toyota was selling the Camry. Therefore, it became overlooked.
But for those of us who house experience with the Lumina of yesteryear, we know exactly what this video is talking about. Saturday morning runs to the bank with mom, shopping mall outings to find an outfit for “Aunt Margaret’s thing.” It’s all oh so familiar.
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When I click on the link, it says that the video does not exist. I was mostly just checking to see if it was worth antagonizing my wife with the video anyway. Her dad bought a brand new Lumina for 1990, and the engine broke a motor mount on the way to the beach shortly after purchase, leaving them stranded. Apparently, it went on to have a series of issues causing them to nickname it the “Lemona”, and eventually abandoning GM for Toyota. Just mentioning or pointing out a Lumina causes her to scowl. Over at my family, my grandfather purchased a 1993 model. If I said it was mediocre, I would be far too complimentary. The air conditioning blew warm when the car was stopped, power windows would occasionally clunk like they fell off the track (but thankfully always came back up), the alternator died causing the car to be inoperable in the middle of the road, the dash curled and peeled, as did the paint on the roof.
The Lumina is one of those cars that I have no argument for when an anti-GM person brings it up. It’s really inexcusable for how barely adequate it was given how grossly over budget GM went in developing it and its other W-Body cousins. The styling was uninspired, and the interior was filled with cheap plastics, uncomfortable seats and bad ergonomics (…and, yes I did drive it). I know they were in development before the Taurus came along, but they also had plenty of time to react and modify the final product to be more competitive. Just look at that tacky chrome grille vs. the sleek grille-less look of the Taurus and the even better looking Sable with its full width light bar. The second gen car got some sleeker more inspired styling inside and out, moving the needle slightly in its favor, but it was held back by the lackluster 3100 V6 and the infamous gasket issues.
No video working….
Yeah it does not exist, so the thing says anyway.
Back in September 1989, I put a $500 deposit on a brand new 2 dr Lumina. I believe it had a sport appearance package. Right afterwards, I told my friend that I put a deposit on the Lumina. He said I should get a new Jeep Cherokee, and he would go back to the dealer and get my deposit back. And that’s what happened. I did buy the new 2 dr. Cherokee Laredo, and realized it was the right choice. This was just at the beginning of the right sized SUV craze. It was white with gray trim and interior.
I still believe the Lumina was a good car, but I was young, and the true sport vehicle to have at that time was a 2 dr. Cherokee, which was fun to drive.
I still have the Cherokee today, in my mothers garage, with 87,000 miles, with every option except power seats.
With highway tires and an adjustable rear air suspension, the ride is stable and quiet.
I’m still a big fan of GM products, but that Jeep was where the market was moving towards, even back in 1989.
91′ Lumina was our family car growing up. It served us well.
Best Lumina vs. Taurus movie scene ever!