Buying 98 Lumina

Hi all:
Am looking around for a good car to use to travel 70 miles a day to go to work and found out the Lumina would be a right fit.
I have read all the pro's and con's. I recently saw a 98 at a used car lot and the guy is asking 4500. Well i looked it over and the body is very good but the interior is dirty.The car says it has 36000 miles on it.The engine looks good too.The tranny fluid looked kind of dark and when i checked the antifreeze it looked rust and oily.I know these cars have problems with the intake. I questioned the guy and he said he would drop the car down to 4000. I was wondering what the intake repair would cost if i were to buy the car and is it worth buying.

I had the upper and lower intake manifold gaskets replaced on my 96 3.1L, and the mechanic down the road (not a dealer) charged me about 450. Do you live in the Northeast, because if you do, you should be aware that these transmissions are very fragile. If it was stuck in the snow even once, it could be well on it's way to needing a rebuild. Aside from that, I have 176K on my 3.1L, and it still gets me to work and back daily, 120 miles round trip!
NO! Get back jinxes! No jinx! No jinx!

Yeah i live in NY. Did you have to replace intake out of need or precaucion,and you have 170k miles on it.Thats what am talking about a car i car put 400miles + a week and keep repairs low.
I think i will take another look at this 98. I just wish i could determine if this car has the intake problem already.

get a mechanic to check over this car before buying it. might cost $65 but definetly worth it if you're serious about buying it. might have worn out brakes, engine/tranny leaks, loose wheel bearings, leaky struts, worn front end components, bad motor/tranny mounts, exhaust damage, undercarage damage, and he/she can check the intake. i assume the windshield and tires are in good shape. if the mechanic finds some minor problems you have the choice to either not buy it or use for negotiating power. most of the time the oil look it has milk in it when the intakes leaking. just remember be smart and you won't get burned!!
good luck

Thanks,am gonna look for a mechanic in my area that does this type of inspection. As far as the car goes the interior is dirty from a smoking person,nothing a good shampoo job can't get out.Does have 3 small burn holes in driver chair.
The car outside is in very good if not excellent. The engine sound very good. But the rusty looking antifreeze got me thinking. I haven't driven the car so i don't know what to expect. Am gonna look for a mechanic then go back.

make sure you drive first. almost any mechanic shop should do inspections with a test drive being part of the inspections to check for any vibrations, handling problems, clunks, wind noise etc.
It's amazing what a good detail shop can do to the interior of a car for a couple hundred bucks, most have an ozone machine that will kill any odor known to man as well as very potent cleaning agents to get rid of almost every stain. as far as the cigarette burns you could replace the factory seat cover, get aftermarket ones or maybe find a replacement seat from a junkyard off a car with the same interior. or you might find something off E-bay.
chances are the cooling system will be fine if it's flushed. good luck!

I had it replaced out of necessity. It was overheating and then flat out leaking antifreeze. But I do keep up on maintenance, so I got it to 120K before needing this done. The mechanic has done about five or six of this same engine, same problem, and said that I was lucky to get it that far, most go at around 80K.
I have had to replace the tie rod ends, but with this many miles, that can be expected. Other than that, really just small stuff that I was able to fix. I consider myself very lucky, since I bought this car with 26K on it as an ex-rental which means it probably wasn't treated very kindly in life before me.

What were the signs that the intake was going?
I just called a Mechanic that does inspections. He says he checks everything for $100.Lifts the car and all. He was trying to sway me away from buying a Lumina.
I told him my main reasone is i want a car to get to work that will be good on gas and since i have a 1 year old and one on the way i need a decent back seat IF they were to even ride in this car on weekends,i have a chevy tahoe for the family use. Also a car that is not to flashy that would get broken into.

Just another quote to add. My family (brother, cousin, aunt, uncle and grandmother) has been buying these luminas from an insurance company that used them for company cars for over 10 years. To the company the car's book value is accountably depreciated to zero value at 100,000 miles, so they replace them with cars that will continue to depreciate. My current 98 Lumina has 178,000 miles and the only thing I have changed on it is oil, brakes, tires, spark plugs and wires, air filter, thermostat and water pump this past weekend. Which should all be expected. I have been nothing but pleased with this car. I have noticed it is begining to leak some antifreeze and I am starting to wonder if that would fall into the line of intake problems Im reading about here???

yup the intake gaskets will need replacing. im doing the same with mine once I get up all the necessary parts. teh rust is really just the oil that has leaked past the gasket. make sure the oil is not milky-be wary if you can tell it was recently changed. check plugs for general condition of engine. no repairs on my 98/3.1/128000 except this coming weekend with the intake gaskets. mine leak a tiny bit of oil into the radiator and a tiny bit of antifreeze out the front and rear ends of the engine... look just past the power steering pump for a trickle of antifreeze on the block between the intake and block.

the deal breaker might be that darned loose visor clip that keeps popping out! lol.. really... mine has been a great car. my sis had it new with her company, she put 35k on it in a few months, I have had it since 99 and it now has 128k, no repairs except this intake gasket im replacing hopefully this weekend. uses up brake pads in front like crazy and i replace the caliper last brake change