1997 Chevrolet Lumina LS review from North America

Alternator failure.

Water pump failure.

Moon roof failure.

This was the first US domestic automobile that I have purchased new. It's a good handling car in the Mid-West's winters. I also drove it across country from Alabama to California without a failure. I average 21 mpg city and 27 mpg on flat highways. On cold starts the engine always runs noisy (lifters?) for the first 2-3 minutes. So far the failures are what are common to other owners I have talked to - which are: alternator and water pump. Both of these failed on me without warning signs; i.e. noises, leaks, dashboard warning alarms. The only other failure not common to all is the optional moon roof which stopped working after 5 years and will cost over $1,000.00 to repair by the dealer. I'm on my second set of tires (Goodyear Eagle high performance) which I purchased at Wall-Mart and are identical to the original tires. I have driven over 1 million miles in my 30+ years on the road. So far, with 88,000 miles on this vehicle, I'd give it a B grade (A-F) and I plan to keep it another 2 years. This review was submitted on April 22, 2003.