Uplander - would you chose it again?

Thinking about trading in our current 2001 AWD Safari van for a smaller van. Possibly a "used" 2007 FWD 3.9L ext Uplander. Or, possibly a '07 FWD 3.9L Montana van. Something that's better on MPGs, less repairs and easier to drive/park between the lines.

If wondering, van will be used for 2 adults + 3 kids + 1 dog for mostly 2.0 hour weekend driving and for a "run abouts in my small village. Nothing too fancy or too over loaded with electronics. Just a van to get us from point A to point B - without costing too much over the long run.

For those of you who do have a newer Uplander or even '07 Uplander (with 3.9L engine) with longer wheelbase model, would you buy it again?

thanks.

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I definitely would. I purchased my Uplander to replace one of my Ventures and am very happy with it. They made some improvements in these vans over the older Ventures. These vans sport 17" tires and it seems like it gives the van a better ride, and the van sits a little higher as well. We have 2 adults and 2 children plus our 2 dogs on occasion, and everybody is comfortable.I didn't get any extra options or nothing fancy,( no power sliding door,had too many issues with that on the Venture:grinyes: and no automatic ride height adjustment.) I do recommend the DVD player for the kids, I think most of these vans out there come with it installed already. It keeps the kids occupied plus they can play those handheld video games you can plug into the front of the tv jacks.The Pontiac will probably be a little more upscale in options and price, but if you are looking at used, you should be able to negotiate a good deal. Plus another thing I like about these vans is that since they redesigned the front end of the van , making it longer, there is more room in the engine bay to work and even do your preventative maintenance,( especially adding brake fluid or power steering fluid if needed.) Something that was darn near impossible with the Venture. I think you will be happy with one of these vans.

Thanks for the feedback '97ventureowner. I noticed you might want to rename your id to "UplanderOwner". LOL!!!!

Each of our kids have their own portable DVD player with head phones. Thus, each of them can play their own movie, can have different sound levels and if needed, hang their DVD Players off the seat infront of them, hold the player on their laps or if they want, tuck their unit away (under their seats). Portable DVD Players on 12V Aux plugs are the best things we bought for our kids. And best part of all, they are portable to different vehicles. Much better then a single mounted factory DVD player. For me, I don't have the dash radio or CD/DVD player turned ON when I drive. Just me, the vehicle and the sound of natural wind going by. For me, having a perfect sound system isn't needed.

I hear the onstar and onboard Display Information Center (DIC) is suppose to be great to have as well. For me, I don't use these electronics in my current 2001 vehicle, or my wife's 2003 "run about" vehicle. These electronic things (along with power locks, power windows) are low priority. To me, less onboard electronics means less problems in the future. Especially in my extreme cold / summer damp weather. Back to basics - and it keeps their initial purchase cost down as well.

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So far, I've collected a few things. Besides its onboard sound or entertainment system and other fancy electronic / power systems (which is a low priority for me), the pros/cons are:

- Larger 17" wheels - for smoother ride.
- Special bolt pattern rims - hard to get spare rims for snow tires.
- Beefed up front brakes - compared to previous 2006. Thus, eliminating some of the warped rotors I've noticed in pre-2007 posts.
- Same wheel bearing size as previous years. With larger size rims/tires, this is a bad thing. You'd think GM would installed better bearings with larger tires. Perhaps in the "next upgrade"???
- More space around the inner engine area. Better for working on things - like checking fluids or changing plugs. And, more space allows more natural air flow for ventilation / air cooling. In theory, this would lower the risk of "over cooked" parts. Like alternators and other electronic parts.
- The 3.9L engine is better "designed and powered" then its original 3.4L / 3.5L engine. The 3.9L has "more power" for take off and if pulling under 3,000 lbs trailer (maybe 4 times a year). Under these conditions, the larger 3.9L engine will be much better. Much better then the under powered 3.4L / 3.5L engine - found in the prevous Venture vans. However, the 3.9L doesn't get as good as MPGs then its previous smaller engine. Only time will tell how good the 3.9L engine will really be.
- 3rd row of seat has 50/50 split. Thus, good for 2+1 kids (and dog on the floor) in the back seats.
- Van sits a little higher then its previous Venture design. Thus, easier vision. Especially if driving in tight / slow traffic. Personally, I like a high seated vehicle as well.
- The van's FWD does "average to good" in the deep snow. It depends on the driver's skill / ability but under same driver, the Uplander does have good snow traction for a FWD vehicle. Having snow tires improves its traction and braking ability. Due to my winter snow region, I'd get proper snow tires mounted on spare rims as well. Definate must in my woods.


For "occasional" towing:
- If needed, one can install Firestone Ride-Rite / Coil-Rite air bag or Timbren SES units in the rear. Thus, eliminating "rear sag" when hauling or towing heavy things. If needed, I'd go with Timbrens SES units - since I have great luck with this Suspension Upgrade product in my current vehicle.
- Can install a Class II or Class III hitch. (I'd go with a Class III hitch). Found an online movie on how to install a Class III hitch on an Uplander. Installing a Class III hitch looked so easy.
- If needed, I can install my own "full electric" brake controller. My large 6x10 utility trailer has its own full electric brakes. Thus, installing an onboard brake controller can be done. Regardless of local laws, having brakes on the attached trailer over 2,000 lbs is a great thing. Especially behind a small van like the Uplander.
- An Aux cooler and if needed tranny oil temp guage (instead of factory dummy light) can be installed.
- Has 3.9L engine - which makes it stronger for mild "occasional" towing.


If there's other highlights I missed, please provide more pro/cons.

thanks.

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The comment about the special bolt pattern making it more difficult to obtain spare rims for winter tires is really no longer a valid "con" for the vehicle. I would've agreed with you back in late 2006 when I was attempting to locate spare rims for my van and couldn't find any. However, a year has passed and that has allowed some rims to find their way into salvage yards, and even eBay. Granted they may be a bit more expensive because of their rarity, I found a site that has plenty of them, www.car-part.com . This site links salvage yards from across the country. You enter your vehicle info and the part you are looking for in their search box and you then get a results page listing the condition, price and which yard has the item, sometimes with contact info. You can even refine your search closer to your area. I might pick up an extra set of rims for my van later this year. I expect the supply to increase and hopefully the price to decrease for these as time goes on.
I do like the DIC on my van. It is really the first DIC type system I have owned in a vehicle, except for the '95 Chrysler LHS I owned over 10 years ago. I keep tack of fuel mileage, trip mileage, and oil life, although I use synthetic and reset the monitor twice during the time I have the oil in the crankcase, it still comes in handy. It also tells me my battery voltage. The seats are also very easy to manipulate if need be.
Another thing I like about this van is that the CD player is integrated in the radio. In my Venture, the CD player was practically on the floor, outside of the radio itself, and sometimes made it difficult to change CDs.
I even went ahead and had the dealership install a GM remote start system in the van , which comes in handy where I live, ( especially today when we received over an inch of ice plus a few inches of snow. ) It makes it easier to clean the vehicle off.

Thanks for refinement of my above summary info.

Glad to hear that uncommon size rims for the '07 Uplander are more available then previous years. Hopefully in 2008, other "general" auto stores will start selling its bolt pattern rims as well. Thus, one doesn't have to special order spare rims across the internet. Would be nice to walk to ones local auto store and order both rim and winter rubber at the same time. Especially wthin my winter region - where winter rubber is near mandatory.

My wife & I are still thinking about the Uplander - even with some of its weak design areas. Like same size wheel bearings with taller tires. Hopefully this March (after tax return), we'll take our first "used" '07 Uplander for a test drive. Or, we decide to continue to put more repair dollars into our current 2001 Safari van - and continue to watch it suck gas like a starving pig (sort of speaking).

Thanks...

It would be nice if places like www.tirerack.com started carrying the rims for these vehicles (steel wheels that is.) A few years back I was looking for both steel rims and winter tires for my Venture. I found factory steel wheels for $35 new and bought Winterforce tires (about $58/ea.) and had them mount and balance them and ship them to me. The shipping was only $18 to ship both fully mounted tires to me and I got them within 2 days of ordering them. All I had to do was unwrap and put the tires on the van. The whole package of tires/rims/mounting,balancing and shipping was a little over $200. Those Winterforce tires were excellent in the snow here in NY, and I would definitely purchase them again and recommend them to others. They also got good reviews on their website as well.
When it comes to used Uplanders, the prices seem pretty good. I bought mine used back in Oct.'06 for about $16,500 with 8,600 miles on it. The dealer I bought it from specializes in used vehicles and has a lot of these vans in stock at great prices. Sure beats buying new and taking the depreciation hit :grinyes:.Let us know how you make out.

Update:

Just to advise that my wife & I decided to "re-invest" into our current 2001 AWD Safari van. Currently, she's in the shop getting 2 x idler arms (Moog brand) and a wheel alignment. At end of Feb, she's booked for E-Test and muffler piping replacement. Last week, she got new rotor, distributor cap and battery installed. Last Dec she got new shocks and last Nov, she got new brake pads (with 2 x new front brake rotors). With this in mind, most of its common items have been replaced. Hopefully, this will the be last of her winter 2007/2008 repairs. Since this is our 2nd vehicle (that is only used for family "long haul" and occassion utility trailer towing trips), we can't justify paying huge monthly payments to replace her. Especially since our current van sits in our driveway 6 of the 7 days a week.

Besides the above, I'm still not too sure of the 4+ years reliability track record of the '07 Uplander/Montana. Better brakes and larger 3.9L engine sound great. But... Still not too sure how reliable this upgraded vehicle is.

Many Thanks to all who replied to my above vehicle replacement inquire. We'll try to breath 2-3 more years into our current 2001 Safari van. Hopefully, we've had the last of our immediate repairs....

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It is said that in most cases it ends up being less expensive to replace many common wear items in a vehicle over time versus a new car payment which is a monthly occurrence. Putting money into repairs usually is not an "every month" occurrence. If you like the vehicle and are comfortable with it, then the best thing to do is to fix it up to keep it running. I've always said to people in your situation , if it's possible for yo to do , is to set aside some money in a savings account each month (or pay period) to be used to cover any needed repairs to your vehicle. If the time comes where you have to part ways with it and need a new vehicle, you can use any money left in the account as a down payment for the next vehicle. Good luck with the Safari.

I bought an 08 about 5 months ago. I love it. A few things had to be adjusted to at first coming out of a 97 Grand Voyager.

Overall it is much more luxurious, but with 4 kids under 8, the center aisle concept is challenging with the car seats.

We got it as a PEP car (I work as a supplier to GM). I would have liked two more options (driver power rear door and ultrasonic park assist), but otherwise pretty enamored with it. The headphones and audio options are phenominal. Tire Pressure sensor failure on one tire is only glitch so far.

Paul

Yeah, I wished that the Uplanders came with a power rear door as well. In fact my previous two vans, both Chevy Ventures did not have that option as well and I wished it did. I can't tell you how many times it would've come in handy getting groceries out of the back by yourself and don't have a free hand to close it. I was hoping to get a survey from GM about the vehicle so I could add that to the comments but never did, unlike other GM vehicles I bought in the past , I'd get a survey asking for feedback.

I did get the survey and added that. With the PEP cars, you can't really see everything as your are ordering it. I figured as a 1LT it would have it. Seems like the 2LT and 3LTs had the driver poer rear door standard. I have never seen one of these models in person.

Oh well - I do love the fact I can plug my MP3 player into it as well...