Last year new tires, LIM gaskets, alternator and gas tank. Maybe
7-800 bucks. Mostly tires, +400 Last month new coil packs and spark module. About $200. Last week new plugs, ignition wires, battery and TPS. About $235. By far the most expensive 2 years in the 8 years we had it. Always ran like a top, never stranded anybody. Been on +4000 mile road trips numerous times without a worry. Wife is a bitch if she notices ANYTHING wrong, so we always got right on it. Last week it died on my wife and ran rough on the way to work. A co-worker gave her a ride home, and my son fetched it that night, me following in the '93 Grand Am.. It almost died once for him at a light. No codes, but I figured it was a bad TPS. We put in a new TPS -35 bucks -,plugs and wires - 100 bucks - changed the oil and took it for a spin. Plugs and wires were maybe 6 years old. It ran smooth as silk for about 5 miles, then it failed to accelerate right. About 3/4 mile from the house it stopped and wouldn't restart. Battery was weak. Had my wife come over with the Grand Am, and I pushed the Lumina home. Battery went dead - about 7 years old - from cranking, so we spent a bill on a new battery. That cranked it good but it never got going and was backfiring hard. I figured it was the ECU or cam. But I didn't want my son wasting any more of his time and didn't want to fool around any more, so I had it towed to the mech I used before my son took over most of the maintenance. Took him 4 days to get it inside the shop. No compression on at least 2 cylinders and he heard internal clanking. He figures the cam broke. Had it towed home to my driveway - total towing bill $168. No charge from the mech. That sweet thing cost me more dying than it did living. But it treated me good until the end. 180k miles. If it wasn't rusting out I'd put a new engine in it. This is the first non-running car I'm sending to the boneyard. I'm looking at a couple of used Impalas tomorrow, a 3.4 and a 3.5. Rather have a Malibu with same and 15" wheels so I could use my tires, but after pricing them both the Impala is more bang for the buck. The alternator, coil packs, spark module, plugs and wires, 2 year old A/C compressor and condenser will all go on the parts shelf. The Impalas I'm looking at are both $8k at "respected" dealerships. A 2003 3.4 with 49k miles and a 2006 3.5 with 79k The days of $2500 Luminas and Corsicas from private owners are over. I don't even see "For Sale" signs on private cars around here anymore.. Anyway, just some typical "car talk" from "heartbroken" Vic.- posted
11 years ago