More than 30 years after they were first released, the first generation of GM W-Body cars are still a reasonably common sight on the road. Offerings from each division included the Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, Pontiac Grand Prix, and the Chevrolet Lumina. These mid-size front-wheel-drive sedans and coupes are reliable, cheap to maintain, and will withstand abuse and keep running. But when is the last time you saw one with a manual transmission? For that, look no further than this 1992 Chevrolet Z34 listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $4500. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Otto Matic for the tip!
The Lumina arrived in 1990, two years after the rest of its W-Body siblings. It was intended to be a direct competitor to the Ford Taurus. In 1989, a year before the introduction of the production model, Chevrolet began racing Lumina badged cars in NASCAR. This paved the way for the high-performance Lumina Z34. The Z34 was offered as a coupe with a stiffer sport suspension, 210 horsepower 3.4 liter V6 with dual exhausts, and five-speed Getrag manual transmission. An automatic was also available with a slightly detuned engine. Several cosmetic touches to the exterior and interior completed the Z34 package.
There isn’t a whole lot of information in the description, but the seller claims that this example is one of 44 white Lumina Z34s manufactured in 1992. This color makes it easy to see the various sporty visual enhancements to the Z34, including the ground effects, rear spoiler, and vented hood. A thin silver and red stripe around the beltline, and the script ahead of the rear wheels, also help identify this as a Z34. The only noticeable flaw on the body is what appears to be a small dent or scrape in front of the left rear wheel. The seller also mentions that the suspension was lowered and uses custom coilover shocks.
The interior is standard Nineties GM with a lot of velour and plastic, though the seats are more heavily bolstered than a standard model. The black leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter boot also set it apart from the average Lumina. The air conditioning is said to blow ice cold and for entertainment this Z34 is equipped with the optional Bose stereo system. Is having to row your own gears enough to make this Lumina a future classic?
I would have sold my grandmother for the grand Prix version of this back then lol but now I know better! $4500 isn’t bad tho…
Amazing how undesirable they became. The W-body Grand Prix was considered highly cool back then, particularly in Turbo or GTP guise. Even this was too. Now it looks so ’90s. So, so ’90s.
I assume you’re referring to the Grand Prix Turbo. I had one, a 1990, back in 2014. Great car, a blast to drive, literally none of them around anymore.
This was listed 45 weeks ago in Mesa Az
Although its been nearly Thirty years now, thirty….not ten or twenty, but three solid decades,, does anyone really get nostalgic for nineties stuff??
The car here will serve its purpose but at the same time will never have the classic feeling of driving a late sixties Chevrolet…..it’s old for sure but just doesnt seem like it.
You got that right Troy, (the 90s) was memorable but not a lot of 90s cars that are on my radar anymore. There’s a few specific ones that I will always be on the lookout for, but overall it was a decade of mostly forgettable rides.
I drove more than a few of this model, they were a bit of fun? But just made me frustrated fighting torque steer and wishing GM and the others would have stuck with rear wheel drive.
YMMV though.
I remember driving a Northstar powered Caddy that had a TON of torque steer. I thought it was fun!
The only Chevy worth remembering from the 90’s is the 94-96 Impala SS. And even the only one I would buy is the 96, with the floor shifter and a proper instrument cluster (with a tachometer). Although my first brand new car was a 1995 Beretta. As in all Chevy’s build quality was suspect but it was dependable and reliable (never let me down in the 10 years I owned it) and quite speedy for a little car. I might still have it if the door seals didn’t fall apart and the interior carpets of the car got sopping wet when it was raining.
The grand prix GTP was a decent drive with the 3.8 supercharger on top. I built those at Fairfax assembly plant hahah
I love the people who say once Gen-Xers or Millennials get some money, they’ll buy the cars of their youth just like the Boomers did. As you say, it has been three full decades and the front end of the Xers is closing in on 60. And it hasn’t happened.
Cars like this have virtually no prayer for increased value. The only ones from the late ’80s – ’90s which have enjoyed that are a lucky few freaks of nature who basically caught on like some kind of like a viral video, e.g. the 1993 Mustang Cobra, Integra Type-R, Mark IV Supra, E30 M3, and Clown Shoe M Coupe. Other than that, drive and enjoy.
Yes, there were a few cars that seemed very noteworthy, at least back then, the killer Dodge Viper was a real freak of a ride, Corvettes were getting faster and faster, being a 5.0 Mustang guy back then of course the Cobra, the Lightning F150, the super rare 351 Cobra R, all of which this gen X’er, at the age of 54, would not really get excited about spending a lot of money on…again.
No maliese era, or whatever you call that, or hiccups in between performance car years. Just a steady diet of more and more hard running machines,,, which I always trace back to as early as 1982. The nineties were a great time, for me anyways, but I’d rather roll in ’69 GTO. If I could afford it.
As a Gen X-er, I can say, yes there are cars such as this Z34, the C4 (gasp! oh the profanity of liking a C4!!), IROC’s, Jaguar XJS, Firebirds, the Jeep Cherokee Limited’s that came in either black, white, or grey with gold rims, etc. that we do get excited about. Most of us were rolling hand me down 70’s and 60’s cars in the 90’s, so cars like the Z34, GP-Turbo, etc. seemed pretty cool to us at the time. Now days, I’ve had a few of these 90’s cars (Grand Prix Turbo, C4 Vette, XJS, etc.) along with many of your typical “classics” from the 60’s and 50’s. Both eras of cars are fun to drive, just in different ways.
Isn’t this the model that had the optional(?) and extremely troublesome DOHC version of the 3.4 Chevy V6? The engine and transmission are a rare combination in a GM car (Pontiac offered it in the GP, too) but this is another example of rare not making a car more attractive.
A co-worker bought one of the Lumina sedans of this vintage used. When I first got in it for a ride I could not believe how ugly the interior was, particularly the instrument panel. It looked like it was designed so that sloppy assembly wouldn’t be noticed, and I believe it was the main reason why my uncle wouldn’t buy one to replace his Caprice. My Uncle John, out of all my uncles, was the only one who was a lifelong Chevy buyer. Between my uncle, his wife, and their daughter, they probably bought at least 1 new Chevy every year among them for nearly 60 years. But Uncle John was not buying a Lumina to replace his 2 year old Caprice. He bought another Caprice.
This is a perfect example of how a 4 or 5 speed manual transmission makes any car better. If reliable, this would make an enjoyable, low cost driver, if you can stand the tacky spoiler and ground effects.
Steve R
Other issues aside, the tarted-up Luminas were decent looking cars for their time. At least I think so…
A base sedan was my drivers Ed car; even the base model was a fairly nimble and quick car for farting around town.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug; if this was bright red I’d be tempted to relive my misspent youth 😆
The main problem with these from a consumer standpoint is Chevy was trying to play the high-revving special engine game against Ford, with the SHO having a much more handsome interior and the absolutely delightful Yamaha engine. That was a losing bet. The SHO is remembered fondly; the Z34, no one really remembers at all.
It oozed cheap then, it still oozes cheap. It’s not going to be confused with a classic (yet).
I won one in The Gillett Halfway Challenge It was quick but I emeidaitly flipped it for cash
I’ve got a 93 that is also white with a garnet red interior she runs like a race car down the freeway and I get a lot of compliments about the Z
They were (and the tense is appropriate, not many left) just fine cars, the pride of rental fleets at the time, but in the rust prone parts of the country, tin worm got them, front suspension would collapse, suddenly it was lowered in the front, on one side, and the cost of repair, if possible since everything was rusted, was more than the poor old thing was worth. But it was not alone, also a problem with the last Saab 900’s (’93’s and ’94 convertibles) that were not really Opels underneath the sheet metal as were the following years. SO look at the front suspension for rust, and if not, and you can keep it out of the salt, a great car. And, my ’93 Allante with the Northstar does not have torque steer, and it GOES.
I own a 1995 Olds Cutlass convertible with 3.4 engine. I’ve owned it for 10 years. To say the 3.4 is troublesome is an understatement. And remember, just because your car is rare doesn’t mean it’s valuable.
I bought a mint one of these cheap and sold it to a friend. It was red with gray interior with a 5 speed. If I remember right the clutch went out and parts were expensive. Cool car though.
I had a 98 lumina LTZ with the 3.8 it had all the “bells and whistles” even a sunroof.
To this day it was one of the best running cars I’ve ever owned, the power was surprising. I put 220k on it then my son’s mom drove it another 100k I think it wouldn’t went even longer had I kept it, she was hard on cars. A friend is high-school had a Z34 automatic and he’s smoke the front tires in it haha.
Just say i had a red 91 and still now have a 1992 black with grey interior 3.4 DOHC automatic. I live in Quebec Canada and my Z34 is store every winter and by this time in spring i get it ready for cruising i just wish it was a 3 pedal