Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Friend of mine is moving to Australia and just sent me this...... thats one very specific body style.

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It can, you just need an especially deranged importer.
 
The discussion about 90's Chevrolet design in the car design ranting thread reminded me that I have a question that's been boggling my mind for quite a while: was the second generation Chevrolet Lumina ever sold officially in Europe? I mean, as new, obviously. No info about it on Wikipedia, and it seems to me that one time I read it was sold in Europe, even if I've never seen one myself, at least not that I can remember at the moment. I know the first generation had a trim-level called Euro, but that one was only named that way so it'd appeal to customers who would otherwise prefer European cars.
 
I don't think the second generation Lumina were sold officially in Europe. The only Chevy sedan from that era I remember being sold in Europe were the Chevrolet Alero. Yes the Oldsmobile Alero were sold as a Chevy in certain European markets for a few years.
 
We had the Beretta and the Corsica, and we had the Camaro and the Corvette. Then there was the Chevrolet Trans Sport (which was pretty much identical to the US-spec Pontiac Trans Sport) and the Chevrolet Alero, as you mentioned. Yet I do see an occasional pic of a 2nd-gen Lumina with European plates on the internet, such as this one:

1995_Chevrolet_Lumina_LS_%2810333826246%29.jpg


BTW, when I say "we" had them, I mean Western Europe. I don't think anyone imported Chevrolet-branded cars officially in Croatia before they rebadged Daewoo as Chevrolet. (That was either in 2004 or 2005, I do believe they started rebadging Daewoos as Chevrolets in 2005 in Eastern Europe, one year later than in Western Europe.)
 
Yes we also had the Beretta and Corsica but that was about ten years earlier so not really the same era for me.
 
Does the manual actually say 3,000 miles? If not, that rule of thumb is really pretty old, and modern oils are far superior. It really is a waste to change it that often if it is not needed.
I can probably get away with more if i check and top it off but i checked at 3k recently and it was running low. It is overkill and I am aware but I am a bit paranoid given the terrible reliability, and the fact I didn't trust the terrible dealer who possibly wasn't even putting it on the lift right.

It's fine I can do it myself. Probably. I have not tried to change the oil yet (it was done like 1200 miles ago) but i can get it on the lift without messing up the side skirts at least
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Along with intercooler puncture from construction hell it also had a screw in the left rear tire, which gave me an excuse to practice that lmao. I did a good enough job that it held up fine chasing the Z28 camero down the highway at 103mph earlier ?

A low bar but I feel pretty damn accomplished for someone who was cripped enough to need a wheelchair to get around a hospital a few years ago. Especially when the tire patching happened yesterday, like that was actual physical labor. I also seem to be absorbing all the info pretty well (which is great because I have a double whammy of being crippled AND retarded with no short term memory).

It's nice to for a change feel like I am just racing to catch up to people who aren't starting from zero then feel inherently less capable then everyone else, despite the fact I probably am. I'm still sick after all, it's just being treated and managed better so I can work around it easier. It might take me longer but I'll get there.
 
The discussion about 90's Chevrolet design in the car design ranting thread reminded me that I have a question that's been boggling my mind for quite a while: was the second generation Chevrolet Lumina ever sold officially in Europe? I mean, as new, obviously. No info about it on Wikipedia, and it seems to me that one time I read it was sold in Europe, even if I've never seen one myself, at least not that I can remember at the moment. I know the first generation had a trim-level called Euro, but that one was only named that way so it'd appeal to customers who would otherwise prefer European cars.

The second gen Lumina was sold new in Finland, and maybe in some other Nordic countries as well. I still see a few on the roads sometimes, even if it wasn't a big seller here. I'd like one.
 
Yes we also had the Beretta and Corsica but that was about ten years earlier so not really the same era for me.

Yeah, that's true, and I do believe I've seen pictures of European-spec Caprices and even Caprice Classic with orange turn indicators somewhere on the internet.

The second gen Lumina was sold new in Finland, and maybe in some other Nordic countries as well. I still see a few on the roads sometimes, even if it wasn't a big seller here. I'd like one.

Do you happen to know was it imported by GM itself or by some third party dealerships? I did find a Lumina on Nettiauto, and while it does have a rear fog light, side repeaters and a metric speedometer, it also seems to have non-retractable mirrors and red rear turn indicators. That doesn't sound like an official Chevrolet import to me.
 
I can probably get away with more if i check and top it off but i checked at 3k recently and it was running low. It is overkill and I am aware but I am a bit paranoid given the terrible reliability, and the fact I didn't trust the terrible dealer who possibly wasn't even putting it on the lift right.

It's fine I can do it myself. Probably. I have not tried to change the oil yet (it was done like 1200 miles ago) but i can get it on the lift without messing up the side skirts at least
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Why not just add oil? It would still maintain the oil level, and be cheaper than a full change.

By the way, how low was it?
 
They were imported by Metro-Auto, an official Opel/GM dealer at the time, but there are also a number of privately imported US cars in Finland. People have brought home the weirdest, most mediocre stuff after working abroad for a couple years because it meant they wouldn't have to pay any import tax.
 
Does the manual actually say 3,000 miles? If not, that rule of thumb is really pretty old, and modern oils are far superior. It really is a waste to change it that often if it is not needed.
I see this conversation on r/justrolledintotheshop every so often. You can still get oil of that low quality that it requires being replaced every 3-5k miles. Probably has leaves and twigs in it still or something.

The oil I get can easily do 20k km (12k miles), but it also costs that much more.
 
I see this conversation on r/justrolledintotheshop every so often. You can still get oil of that low quality that it requires being replaced every 3-5k miles. Probably has leaves and twigs in it still or something.

The oil I get can easily do 20k km (12k miles), but it also costs that much more.
Isn't ethanol also a factor?
AFAIK, E27 or E100 (like we have here) makes the need for oil changes more frequent.
 
Isn't ethanol also a factor?
AFAIK, E27 or E100 (like we have here) makes the need for oil changes more frequent.
Unless you specifically converted your car or bought one of those flex fuel ones, you’d only be getting e10 here.
 
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