Should I buy a used Astro van or avoid it?

[dariusfan]

I am trying to figure out whether to buy an Astro Van or wait quietly until the thought passes. The Japanese vans have a reputation for better quality than the Astro van but lately I have heard Sienna and Odyssey $4000 transmission repair horror stories so that reputation could be changing. A few friends of mine own Astros and point out that the Astros have a partial ladder frame and can carry a heavy load since they are built more like a truck. The 4.3Litre engine is basically the good old Chev 350 with two cylinders chopped off so should be pretty bullet proof. When I ride in an Astro I have no room for my feet in the foot well and the seats seem cheaply built. No insult intended thats just my impression after a quick ride - and it was in an older van - an 89 I think. So here are my questions:
1) Since most of you own Astro vans now, would you buy another one - are you satisfied overall with your van?

2) What drives you nuts about the van: what frequent problems do you run into?

3) Are there years I should avoid looking at due to problems? I can afford up to about a 1999 model.(I am reading and researching using buyers guides but nothing beats asking people who own the vehicle.)

4) I would have a qualified mechanic check out any Astro van I was considering buying but what are say the top three things to watch out for with a used Astro?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long post
Paul
Vancouver

[tableman]

1st don't buy any Astro older then 1996, for ride and seat comfort.
1996 and newer, don't give the appearance of a cargo van inside.
Have your Mechanic check all steering components, vans are know for ball joints, and Idle arms. Some years I believe, 1997 are know for going thru front brakes. I have a 1996 Astro 2WD, 200,000kms, things I have had to fix in the year I have own it, Alternator, rear brake cylinder, ball joints, idle arms. They are great at towing, we tow a 2000lb tent trailer all over the place, and you barely notice the trailer behind. Its great if you have a family lots of room. Recommend the 4 captain seats and 1 bench seat style. Downfalls, it is a big vehicle and has taken my wife a while to used backing it up, because you seat higher, If you like to work on the vehicle yourself, you might find in tight for space to work on. Bottom Line, yes I would buy another

[SeaBuzz]

I bought a 2001 AWD Astro carge van a few months age. I had back surgery and the 2002 F250 was to hard of a ride. Now back to the Astro. I'm 6'4 and had a problem at first with the leg room and the seating but after a few days I found my spots and fit right in. I find it to be a great vehicle. I did have to change the gear lube inn the front, rear and the transfer case, but that was it. I just added a set of Bridgestones Dueler AT Revo's 225x75x15 and that gave me a better ride and handling, and they tell me there great in the snow. If I had the $$$$$ I'd buy one for all my kids. Hope this helps.

[aharbormoon]

I didn't need an open box pickup anymore so I researched vans. I decided on the Astro because it could tow 5000lb, had all wheel drive, was big enough to fit 4x8 plywood or sheetrock in it with the doors closed and when needed I can put all the seats in and carry 7 or 8 people in roomy decent comfort. I have a 2002 w/ 45k and so far only prob has been a leaky windshield and a set of new front brake pads. I'm happy with it. It's better in the snow than my 4x4 pickup was and tows our camper easily.

[aloharocky]

Have a 2000 Astro, and the only problems we've had are the usual power locks and power windows. They were expensive to fix, but other than the lack of legroom it's been fine.

[Aqua Angel]

i bought a used 87 astro Van and got it converted into propane for my work and that van is running strong after over a year 1/2 of work and intense driving and still driving strong even after over 389,000,00 KM. All there is into buying used van is to do your research, how many owners and service record of the vehicle. if you have none of those? go for a test drive and look for a leak(s) and wear or the drive train or have it inspected.

Good luck

[8490astro1]

Yes, the astro is much better than most used cars! Go for it!
Newer isn't always better, and lots of miles isn't always bad. Handles better than the honda.

I purchased mine used in 1996. It is a 1990 model. 9 years, never gave me a problem until the last few months. Ok, I'll be more honest - an alternator every 4 years, a starter every six, brake pads...the usual GM stuff.

I guess, I base my opinion on the fact that I roll right by lots of dead cars along the road. Lots of cars much newer than mine simply die on the freeway. I have never had a "left me stranded" experience with my astro.

The only advice I can give you, is to determine whether the tortion bars have been replaced. They had a problem in the early 90's with weak tortion bars that would crack. If you buy one used, find out whether they have been replaced. If not, upon purchase, get them replaced or looked at to see if they are the large ones or the small ones. The GMC safari did not have this problem.

Common problems (1984-1995 4.3L Carb/TBI)

1. Door/window Switches fail - Solution - Use the same switch from a buick or oldsmobile or avoid the drive-through window at mcdonalds!

2. Door Locks break, driver side and rear doors. - Solution - grease them once a year with lithium spray in grease. The rear door lock may be fixed by drilling a hole through the piece of zinc to repair the piece that broke off.

3. Ground wires/battery cables corrode. - solution - use that $6 tube of silicone grease and $1.75 tube of silicone glue to properly seal these parts upon replacement. Wiggle them when the vehicle does not start!

4. Ignition Switch no longer needs key to start vehicle. - solution - This is a common ...feature... of all GM vehicles. You can purchase a new switch from most automotive stores for about $9 to $15. Good luck installing it!

5. (1987-1993) Rear speakers rattle and sound distorted - solution - use a small needle to make a hole in the dustcap, and spray WD-40 into the coil area. Use a steamer to get the cones to warp back, then a hair dryer to keep them in place. Ah heck, just buy some cheap replacements. The stereo always works!

6. Three button auto-reverse cassette deck no longer plays tapes - solution - take it to a shop that repairs car stereos and have them replace the belt - the cassette portion is made by Matsushita "panasonic" It's very easy to replace!

7. Five Band EQ radio cassette deck keeps reversing - the mechanism is made by blaupunkt - find a blaupunkt radio that has been removed from an import and swap the mechanism. OK, better yet, just use an RF modulator and a portable CD player.

8. (1984-early 1985 models) Choke light on - This is actually your OIL light!!!! The wires may be hooked to the wrong ideot light. - solution - you can switch the wires, or just think of your engine choking on sludge because it low on oil!! Or, you can CHOKE the dealer mechanic for not telling you about this known defect until the van is out of warranty!

9. Burns oil on long trips or when doing lots of towing. Use synthetic, its worth it!

10. Radiator may crack and break on anything newer than the 1991. This is all GM cars. If this happens, replace it with an all metal one designed for the 1985-1987 models. This is a do-it-only-once repair. I've never had an Astro radiator fail, so this is just heresay.

OK, enough.

What the astro does NOT have is the $2500 problems - the transmission lasts 120,000-200,000 miles based on usage. Maybe longer.
Never blew a head gasket! (have you fixed-a-big-forrrd...lately?)
Wheel bearings, ball joints, idler arms, U joints all last pretty much to 175,000 miles, with "reduced perfomance" (i.e sloppy steering)

Anything after 1995 and you are likely to have to replace the fuel pump. The 89 is notorious for this too. The 84-85 with the carb has a mechanical fuel pump on a belt from the engine

[blkmonday]

i have a 1995 astro LT all wheel drive 85k i bought it used at 50k. i would absolutely buy another. i live in connecticut...the weather here is rough in the winter and my all wheel drive gets me out of anything that my 98 blazer gets me through. originally we bought the blazer for my wife..she didnt like the size of the vehicle and climbing in an out of it. personally i love the size. its a "mini" van with full size cargo space. im a musician and use it for my equiptment. the seats are a bit bulky to remove (i leave out the 3rd seat and have plenty of room for my gear). the only things ive had to replace since i bought it were the shocks, tires, radio and the regular tune up stuff...other than that no expenses.
depending on your use for the astro..mine is comfortable,loaded with all the goodies for traveling, awesome in the snow with plenty more cargo room than the jap vans. plus its american made! i highly recomend the 95 chevy astro van...ive been extremely happy with mine

[jellero]

very comfortable van. i have had a few problems-
rear axke seals went out
brakes went out
accessory bracket on engine broke
heater fan motor burned out
radio stopped working
a/c stopped working
cruise control stopped working
burns oil
has a strange vibration up front
back doors won't open
alternator went out
windshields break very easily
power steering went out
radiator leaks
engine is about impossible to get at
i haven't had any trouble since i parked it last year. go with a honda, toyota, anything else!! j

[jellero]

i forgot about having to replace the fuel pump, water pump, starter motor. that stranded me three times. be sure and join a motor club. j

[majical]

I have had my 95 Asto since new (Nov 94). It now has 201000km. This
van a lot of life left in her. Most repairs that i have been able to do myself - water pump, spark plugs and cap, brakes ( rear need manual
adj) idler arms,rear heater pluming replaced ( used heater hoses instead
of expensive dealer part ) Now only needs driver's power window motor repaced and new shocks ( i will replace when it gets warmer ) Its been
Mom's taxi, moving van, been full of hockey equipment and players. When this van is worn out i would look for another used one to buy, but that might still be a few years away

[jimmypodunk]

The first thing I'm wondering is if you bought your astro yet or decided against it? This thread started in October. 4 months ago. I've owned 2 Astros. I traded in my 1986 for a 1997 which I still drive today. The 97 has 160 miles on it and it doesn't use any oil between oil changes. (3000 miles). With that I would say I'm happy. The problems I've had are door handles breaking, power door locks falling out, and a nuisance P1870 code trans comp slipping. I've had this check engine light for 3 years and I just keep resetting it waiting for the transmission to shit completely before I get it fixed. I get the hard 1-2 gear shift but I reset it. It goes away in the winter and the wife complains about it all summer cause I'm too cheap to get it fixed. I'm going to try to put a shift kit in it this spring to see if that helps this summer. I have to get the A/C fixed. I think its vacuum related. I also had to replace the fuel tank sender. It was hard to find but I found one for $46. That beats the $300 fuel tank pump assembly that the parts stores were trying to sell me. I own a Mitusubishi Montero and while not a Van (it's an SUV) I'm not sure if the Japenese stuff is any better or not. It's fairly reliable thus far but one quart of the recommended transmission fluid is $4.50 and you can only buy it at the dealer. I went to a local transmission shop to see if they sold that type and they said no. They would just put the Dexron III in it. Go figure. If you like working on your own vehicle get the Chevy, If you like paying high prices to get your import fixed by someone else get that import. But I've been a Chevy Biased guy my whole life so what do I know.

[J-Ri]

I had an 87 Astro... my first vehicle. I loved it, even being in highschool. I would DEFINATELY buy an Astro if I had a family with kids. If I were to find a good one for sale now (I'm 20 years old), who knows... I might buy it.

[rockout]

Originally Posted by dariusfan

I am trying to figure out whether to buy an Astro Van or wait quietly until the thought passes. The Japanese vans have a reputation for better quality than the Astro van but lately I have heard Sienna and Odyssey $4000 transmission repair horror stories so that reputation could be changing. A few friends of mine own Astros and point out that the Astros have a partial ladder frame and can carry a heavy load since they are built more like a truck. The 4.3Litre engine is basically the good old Chev 350 with two cylinders chopped off so should be pretty bullet proof. When I ride in an Astro I have no room for my feet in the foot well and the seats seem cheaply built. No insult intended thats just my impression after a quick ride - and it was in an older van - an 89 I think. So here are my questions:
1) Since most of you own Astro vans now, would you buy another one - are you satisfied overall with your van?

2) What drives you nuts about the van: what frequent problems do you run into?

3) Are there years I should avoid looking at due to problems? I can afford up to about a 1999 model.(I am reading and researching using buyers guides but nothing beats asking people who own the vehicle.)

4) I would have a qualified mechanic check out any Astro van I was considering buying but what are say the top three things to watch out for with a used Astro?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long post
Paul
Vancouver

I have a 1994 Astro AWD EXT with 262,000 miles . It has had a few problems buy nothing really major. I still drive it 200 miles a day. I think they are good vans. The only thing that might keep me from buying another pne is the legroom, but that wouldn't bother me if I didn't drive so much. Also I would sell mine for $2200 if anybody is interested and it is still good and dependable.

[handitaxi]

I know this is an old thread but I thought that you might be interested in my story: I have a 95 wheelchair conversion with approx. 1.2 million kilometres on it - all driven in northern Manitoba (750 kms north of Winnipeg). The first engine lasted 750000 kms, the transmission has been replaced three times up to this year when I had it rebuilt - it has since failed twice!! All other components last as long as you look after them and replace with high quality parts. It has lots of rattles and is drafty but I still drive it on gravel roads in -35C weather with confidence. The driving position is very comfortable. The front passenger has limited footroom. I have a friend who runs a taxi to Split Lake twice a day with an Astro. Thats 700kms over all gravel roads all year around. Needless to say, I recommend buying one to anyone.