to the Uplander that is. We just purchased a 2006 Uplander EXT LS used with 8,647 miles. It is Bordeaux Red with a grey interior. Took my Venture in last week for the yearly state inspection, and there were too many issues with it to the point my friend the mechanic said to look for another vehicle. We hadn't planned on getting one this soon. I wanted to wait until at least 2008 or 2009 to get a used one in Amethyst, my wife's favorite color and a new color for 2007. We tried to locate new one in Amethyst but the dealer wouldn't work with the price. They wanted $27,500 and would not come down at all. Oh well their loss. I bought this one at a local used car "supercenter" and paid $16,995. Funny thing is we purchased our Venture in June of 1998 with 16,125 miles on it for $19,995. This new van has almost half the miles and cost $3000 less! I've got to say I was very impressed with this Uplander. Having driven the Venture for the last 8 1/2 years you become accustomed to certain things. While test driving the Uplander I was surprised at the many upgrades on a vechile that was meant to replace the Venture. My first biggest surprise was the radio. Yeah it's just a plain AM/FM/CD radio, but it also is Mp3 compatible AND the radio actually lists the station you are listening to, their slogan, and the song title and artist currently playing.I also like how the two seats behind the front seats are separated now. This is good if you have kids who like to fight sometimes
I also noticed how much higher this van seems than my Venture, those 17" tires make the difference. I also like the dvd player on the track system. The 3.5 engine was very responsive, hopefully it will be much BETTER than the 3.4s in the Ventures. The engine compatment also looked roomier and much easier to work on. I was hoping for a 3.9 engine but really didn't come across many in my search. I know it's standard on the '07s now. I also lie the driver's information center you can access with the push of the button. I was surprised to see they relocated the 4 way hazard switch to a button on the dash,(found that by accident
. I also noticed they moved the cruise control lever to the other side of the steering column. I originally thought the van didn't have it upon first looking at it, but found it on the test drive. I'm so used to the GM corporate cruise control lever that was on the turn signal stalk dating back to the '70s. And I'll also have to get used to the new way to activate the high beams. ( I first read about that issue here in this forum awhile back.) All in all I'm so far pleased with all the improvements GM has made to these vans over the years, and I hope this van will give us many problem-free miles in the future.
Making the jump....
