This 1992 Chevrolet Lumina is the type of vehicle you once saw all over the road – it was indeed a popular choice among consumers. Now, if you even see one, chances are it’s in haggard condition and isn’t anything like the high-zoot Z34 coupe model we see here. This one has seriously low mileage for a car that was rarely put away as a future collector’s item, with just 30,367 miles on the clock. Find it here on eBay with an asking price of $7,900 and the option to submit a best offer, and thanks to Barn Finds reader TCOPPS for sending it in.
If you follow semi-iconic cars of the late 80s and early 90s, you likely know there’s a following for the performance models of Chevy’s 90s lineup. The Beretta GTU and GTZz; the Cavalier Z24; heck, even the Geo Storm LSI. The Lumina Z34 is right up there in the hearts and minds of younger Chevy enthusiasts, and it’s not hard to see why: ground effects every where you look; sharp polished alloy wheels; rear spoiler; hood louvers; dual exhausts; and more. Chevy didn’t want there to be any illusions about the fact that this was their performance model based on a staid family sedan.
And honestly, even though the Lumina in general may get branded as a flaming pile of trash, the Z34s had some decent scoot under the hood to back up the performance-minded exterior. The DOHC LQ1 V6 made a respectable 200 b.h.p., good enough for a run to 60 that hovered around 8.0 seconds. If buyers chose the rare-to-find-today Getrag 5-speed, they would see the 0-60 run drop to below eight seconds. While we have featured the elusive manual transmission edition on this site in the past, they pop up incredibly infrequently. The engine bay on our subject car appears spotless.
Inside, deeply bolstered bucket seats greeted passengers, with couch-like support that was clearly more focused on comfort than keeping your butt in place during high-speed maneuvers. The interior looks just as tidy as things did under hood, which speaks to an owner who not only drove the car sparingly, but also took great care to preserve the notoriously bland accommodations of the cabin. While I doubt they will ever be considered enormously collectible, models from Chevy’s 90s performance lineup will likely always hold their value if kept in condition like this.
I liked these as a kid. They were sharp looking. I briefly owned a 90 Lumina coupe with a column shift and 3.1V6. The car was terribly boring, drove like a heavy car and handled lousy I thought. The interiors also let these cars down. With that said the Z34 looked awesome and even the Euro model was a decent looker. The design was a little dated by the time it came out though. As far as early nineties Chevys go, I owned a z24, two Corsica’s and a Lumina. Also a 98 Malibu. The Lumina was my least favorite.
Makes ya wonder if these or similar cars from the nineties will ever be all that big with collectors of the future. The nineties were a while ago now, something I haven’t grasped yet. Nice car.
Please be safe on the road tonight!
I will say with 99% confidence that this car will never be that big with collectors in the future. I’d say that’s true of most 1990s American cars as this simply wasn’t a good decade for them. German cars from this decade are also pretty meh to collectors.
Japanese cars from the 1990s have caught on a bit, and not just the MK IV Supra. Good CRX Si’s, Sentra SE-Rs, 300ZX Turbos, and some others bring in solid money.
Good opinion, and it’s just that
Based on market trends and demographics, yes. But correct, ultimately an opinion. We’re still waiting on cars from the 1980s to pop. A few have but mostly we’re in the waiting stage.
Super, there will always be buyers for a car like this.
The real question is, will anybody ever take a bad example of this car and restore it to like new condition.
I would say the answer is no.
Not so fast my friend. For those of us who grew up in the 90’s, got their driver’s license and first car in the 90’s, there are a plethora of 90’s cars that grab our interest (and not just Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, et al.). Was is the best decade for cars ever….naaaaah…..but Z34’s were cool for the time and really when is the last time anyone saw one?
That the 90s were a while ago is a very true statement! I bought a 95 BMW convertible this past September. It’s funny, when one says 1995, it doesn’t seem like long ago. But when u do the math and tell people it’s 25 year’s old, that’s when it hits…
I owned a 1990 euro lumina coupe it was a comfy sporty car looked like a nascar kind of sounded like one too. These are rare and i would grab this to take to radwood shows and baby it.
I’m kinda ashamed to say it but…I like it!
Don’t be ashamed. :) I had a ’93 Z34 coupe, and it was a nice car. Comfortable, quick enough, and was ok on gas.
Ah, Days of Thunder!
Indeed, LOL! Here, enjoy. And you don’t apparently need a mask to apply the GM water-based paint from this era…
https://youtu.be/LvG_M_fAkXU
Now one must remember what is required for serving the engine been there, just remember to remove alternator or starter it can take hours look up the serving info time its pretty correct.
I’d test those seats for steroid use.
I’ve heard these motors are terrible to service.. that said I lusted after these and the Pontiac Grand Prix gxp at the time. The stick is a unicorn!
Terrible boat anchor engines. Incredible GM is still in business. Build junk. You don’t see these on the road because they all fell apart.
BS!!!!!! Only good vehicle anymore…
Never had a Z34 but i have had two Z24 Cavaliers. First one was a 90 two tone silver car,poor thing was wrecked alot. I was driving it and hit a large buck on the interstate,all i saw was antifreeze and fiberglass flying…..put it back together then my wife had a minor accident in it,fixed that then my son sideswiped a row of trees with it and it was done..crushed the A pillar on that one.Thank the Lord that no one was ever injured in any of the incidents! Replaced it with a red 94 model..transferred the drivetrain from the 90 to the 94 due to someone running antifreeze in the oil..so i decided to use proven drivetrain.She finally gave up the ghost with over 300,000 on it.(Little man with a hammer trying to get out of the block..lol) I know this model v6 had more problems than the other 3.1 but if maintained properly you can get good service from almost anything regardless of brand. Just picked up a 94 cutlass convertible with this motor that was abandoned..Seems to run good.took about an hour to get it running and driving.so we will see how it goes…i like it!
Loved my ‘94 for it’s good looks, comfy seats, nice ride and handling. The downside was the LQ1. Sluggish and hard to work on. This car would have been much better with the 3800.
Today, in hindsight, it’s hard to imagine someone looking at this and saying, “wow, I want to sacrafice and make hefty monthly payments for this mean machine!” Yet, they did, as these sold pretty well despite a base MSRP of about $34,000 in adjusted dollars before even adding any options.
They had me suckered into the mediocrity back then…loved my 3.1L Grand Prix. Just a kid with too much cash to spend on what seemed nice.
Dale Earnhardt sold a ton of these for GM. NASCAR was huge in those times. I’m sure that had plenty to do with it’s success.
If these are your thing, this one appears to be the one to buy. Only one,
red flag, the painted door latch striker is body color. I’m not sure if they were painted from the factory, if not, this may indicate prior paint repairs. Otherwise this car looks spotless.
Picked up a clean red one of these about 15 years ago at auction for a steal. Best part? It was a 5 speed! I ended up selling it to a good friend of mine.
Wish they were RWD instead. Like the Monte Carlo better during these years.
Has a look at these one time. As well as the Pontiac 6000 STE. Not sure why I never pulled the trigger though. Later I bought a Beretta Z/24 for my daughter. Thought for sure it has the potential to be a classic. 4 weeks later she wrecked it. The 90’s did have some I interesting car’s. They just never caught on.
I love the radwood idea mentioned earlier. I was one of the early adopters with a black 1991. I wanted to love it but so many issues in 3 years I had to dump it when the warranty was up.
If anything from this category from the early to mid 90s should be with anything, The Ford Thunderbird SC with its Supercharged 3.8, a 5 speed manual, and independent rear suspension with rear wheel drive was the hot ticket. The Lumina and other junk GM offered during this timeframe didn’t even come close.
Having said that I own both Ford and GM products so I’m not hating, just passing on my personal opinion and experience. I still own an SC that after 30 years still runs great.
I’ve got one that’s just as clean and has only half the miles of this one.
Interested if I still have this car I wanna buy it