1996 Chevrolet Lumina Minivan is Improbably Excellent
Minivans are generally grounded up and destroyed after 10 years. This 1996 Lumina survived the odds to become quite the collectible!
General Motors finally cracked the code with the Chevy Traverse. The front-wheel drive based family hauler has clearly resonated with many car shoppers. But before Chevy developed a competent crossover, they struggled to compete in the minivan segment. The Chevy Lumina surfaced at a time when Chrysler dominated the market with the Dodge Caravan. GM’s answer resulted in an oddity for the ages.
Our thoughts gravitated towards the Lumina after a sterling example showed up on Cars & Bids. The minivan, which by all accounts should be dead and buried right now, is alive and well. Additionally, the “Dustbuster” looking minivan has already been subject to a minor bidding war, even though the auction launched very recently.
Behold Lumina!
When Chevrolet launched the Lumina APV in 1989 for the 1990 model year, they were playing catch-up. Chrysler launched a new segment seemingly overnight with the 1984 Dodge Caravan. Unfortunately, General Motors failed to understand why buyers flocked to the minivans. Clearly, the designers felt obligated to create something meant to stand out rather than offer something that the Dodge could not. As a result, the Chevrolet Lumina APV boasted an extremely raked windshield and front end. The comparison to a popular handheld vacuum at the time resulted in these being called the “DustBuster” vans.
By 1996, GM had tweaked them a bit. No longer was the nose so prominently huge. Additionally, Chevy now called their radically styled minivan the Lumina Minivan. Although the styling turned many buyers off, those that found the Chevy acceptable were at least treated to decent powertrains. Our featured Lumina came equipped with the GM 3.4 liter V6. That engine, paired to a 4 speed automatic, had a decent reputation.
Still Crazy After All These Years
As 1996 was the last year for the Chevy Lumina Minivan, the winner bidder will likely get as good of a van as they can get. Compounding all this is the minivan’s absolutely solid condition. The seller is listing the vehicle for their father. But there’s a twist: he took ownership of the vehicle from his mother, who owned the Lumina from 1996 until July 2020. Basically, the Lumina is a one owner vehicle. To make matters even more favorable to the Lumina, it’s a California car, which means there’s not even a hint of rust underneath. Grandma clearly garaged the Chevy, otherwise the paint would have faded long ago and interior bits would have disintegrated. But the plastic body panels still shine and the interior appears to be very clean.
That’s not to say the van is in showroom condition. There are multiple scratches and a large scuff on the driver’s side of the van. The headliner started sagging in one area at some point. Someone lost the third row map light some time ago. And the driver’s window can get stuck in the down position sometimes.
Rare and Probably Collectible
Those flaws are easily fixable and most likely the reasons why bidding is already an intense affair. The auction went live on September 8 and bidders immediately drove up the price to $4,000. Is that an insane figure for a 25 year old minivan? Perhaps, but this very well might be the very last Lumina Minivan that can be realistically brought back to showroom condition. At this point, it’s a collectible. There’s no doubt many millenial car collectors who would want to take this to a local car show in order to blow some minds.
If you’re interested in bidding on this fine specimen of quirky minivan, the auction runs until September 15. Otherwise, simply bask in the glow of an oddly shaped, barely used minivan that represents a model that is all but extinct in 2020.
Photos: Cars & Bids