What's the deal with Astro vans?

[Twiddle]

I'm in one of those weird stages of life. I need a van. I see 90 ish Astro/Safari vans everywhere. What is it about these vehicles that made them so popular. Also is there something magical about them? Why are so many still running and with pride of ownership.

[Darell_n]

They had an indestruble 4.3 v6 and optional AWD and stripped out cargo interior for cheap. They were good for a work vehicle but their capabilities and mileage are a million years outdated now.

[revelations]

Overbuilt GM products of that time. They were built on a truck platform.

Kijiji has some nice 08/09 Caravans for 5k right now. They seem to be pretty decent (also at depreciation, LOL).

[03ozwhip]

Yusssss
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cory_mr2/Screenshot_2016-06-13-12-37-05_zpstorpi1rq.png (http://s148.photobucket.com/user/cory_mr2/media/Screenshot_2016-06-13-12-37-05_zpstorpi1rq.png.html)

[RickDaTuner]

yeah, those things are hard to kill, I don't think that they are popular, just that they keep surviving...

The chew through front tires like no ones business though.

[78si]

I know these vans more than I would like to admit. I have a 98 camper conversion with 285 000km and it runs flawless. Ive taken it to california and back with zero issues, while many newer cars were pulled over in the dessert heat. On the interstate highways I was getting 24 imperial mpg. If you can buy a 2003 and newer astro/safari as they have better brakes, suspension and 6 lug axles.

[speedog]

We had two when our family was young, an 86 shorty with barn doors and that was replaced by a loaded 92 extended. Both had the 4.3 which meant you could tow quite a bit more than one might expect. You could also load a ton of shit inside of these things as well and even the 2WD versions ( both of ours) could go quite ways off road because they had fairly good ground clearance.

Problems - AWD ones are quite a bit noisier, like RickDaTuner said - they eat up front tires and you'll regularly be replacing front suspension stuff as well. Sold both of ours well past 300,000km and mostly because they both started having electrical gremlins that I didn't want to be bothered with chasing. Fuel mileage - not great, maybe 18-19 on the highway, bit better for me, worse for my wife.

[JustinMCS]

My parents have a 98 GMC Safari SLT AWD since new. It now has 240k or something on it and still going. Comfy leather bucket seats. AWD. LOL.

[Maxx Mazda]

I remember when I worked at Shag back in the day they had the Starcraft conversion vans. Man were those ever pimp! Powered window shades, stand up interior, super comfy bucket seats.... A real poon palace on wheels!

[dirtsniffer]

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet/ASTRO/Burnaby/British+Columbia/5_27617735_20130809142413211/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_10

Someone should buy this!

[Mitsu3000gt]

I had numerous friends that had these growing up, they seemed quite popular back in the day. Giant box with AWD and truck platform made them popular for cargo and towing, but they are huge pieces of crap in pretty well every other area by any current standard. If you need a van, there is no shortage of much newer ones that have depreciated like 80-90% haha.

[littledan]

i hit a moose on highway 63 in an astro van.... and then drove the remaining 180 kms back to edmonton!

Hit it going about 110 kph as it was lying across the road. launched my van in the air into the ditch but kept it on all 4 wheels. thought it was going to be a write off... but nope! Cost me around $400 in parts to fully repair LOL

[corsvette]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet/ASTRO/Burnaby/British+Columbia/5_27617735_20130809142413211/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_10

Someone should buy this!

They're so popular guys are importing them all the way from Japan! JDM Astro yo!

[corsvette]

You just missed out on one. Had a 2005 AWD in the family, had 260k but ran like new. They are extremely roomy vehicles, and with AWD pretty unstoppable in the winter.

[Offroad]

http://www.astrosafari.com/

[HiTempguy1]

My buddy just picked one up and drove it to Vancouver with his wife for a week. Built a custom bedframe, through a mattress in it, palace on wheels.

He even found a fibreglass camper conversion top in a junkyard recently. They are good vehicles for what they are, and you wont find something more spacious.

Also, rated to tow 5500lbs.

[ExtraSlow]

They are the Ford Ranger of vans. In a good way.

[Masked Bandit]

A lot of tradesmen prefer the GM platform over Ford or Chrysler because of the shape of the cargo area. It was more squared off so easier to put shelving in. Add in the truck chassis and a pretty stout motor and it's easy to see why they are still popular for work vehicles (if you can find one).

[Hallowed_point]

All I know is that they were the native reserve vehicle of choice back in the 1990's. An LS swapped Astro would be amazing. I've always had a soft spot for them.

[BokCh0y]

I worked on them when I was younger, installing alarms. They were a bitch to work on under the dash, did not enjoy.

But the can itself I always thought was pretty cool haha.

[ercchry]

We had one brand new in '98.... Awd LT, with a cargo box on the roof, was perfect for bombing out to the mountains in the winter, had rear audio controls... Sooooo ballin! Hahaha... We use to take a small tube tv with built in vcr and ps2 with power converter on longer trips, sat on a cooler between the front seats... So much space haha...

Was also a huge improvement over the lumina for towing the tent trailer... The rwd ones would tow a full sized trailer no problem also

It was a heap of shit lemon though that was always in the shop and flew through windshields

[XylathaneGTR]

My mom had an Astro ('89 or 90 I believe, in Red). The thing was a tank in every sense of the word and great for camping out of (a big family activity).
She kept 'er until 2005 and by that time, it was starting to eat a few parts on the regular, but still very maintainable.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Oh the Astro, those were so awesome haha

When we were kids (late teens) a buddy had a cargo style one and we'd load up in the back of that thing, with that awesome sliding door, and do drive by super-soaker/water balloon attacks. Ripping up some poor unsuspecting people flinging the door open all terrorist style and assaulting the target. So much fun haha, probably get in a shit-ton of trouble these days if kids did that. :rofl:

[toastgremlin]

Worked on a few, been around many families that had one, hung out with kids who had them in high school.

They're not super pleasant to work on, but they are a lot nicer than the Aerostar. Now those are real turds.

[revelations]

Originally posted by toastgremlin
They're not super pleasant to work on, but they are a lot nicer than the Aerostar. Now those are real turds.

Omg the Aerostars were the uglies vans ever - even for that time period. And they had absolute nightmarish electronics issues of all sorts.

[corsvette]

Originally posted by revelations


Omg the Aerostars were the uglies vans ever - even for that time period. And they had absolute nightmarish electronics issues of all sorts.

My Granddad had one of those. Fully loaded Eddie Bauer model with AWD. It was a massive POS, but fun to drift in the snow.

[Mitsu3000gt]

We had an old Aerostar specifically as a tow vehicle for a boat (at the time it was one of the few decent towing mini vans). I think it was a 1989, and miraculously it never caused us a single problem over many years, but it definitely wasn't the greatest vehicle haha. I would not want to be in an accident with it. Extremely comfortable though from what I can remember. Huge inside with the seats out, but this was long before the days of stow away seating.

There were so many shitty vans when I was a kid haha. Windstar, Freestar Lumina APV, Astro/Safari, Caravans, Chevy Venture, etc. Now it seems Ford and Chevy/GMC have failed so hard so many times that they don't even make minivans anymore.

[BokCh0y]

Aerostats are one of the worst hahaha.

Totally remember the lumina apv, forgot about those.

Isn't the Ford transit connect wagon their new minivan?

[Offroad]

There is a Star craft conversion Astro at Barlow pick n pull right now......still has the tv in it too and raised roof...also awd :)

[Offroad]

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet/ASTRO/Burnaby/British+Columbia/5_27617735_20130809142413211/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_10

[corsvette]

Originally posted by Offroad
http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Chevrolet/ASTRO/Burnaby/British+Columbia/5_27617735_20130809142413211/?showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=1_15_10

Thats the JDM van posted earlier. Tons of them down there, conversion vans were popular in Japan.