Buying a 2004 Venture..What to look for

[mazzov]

All,

I am in the process of buying a 2004 Venture LS Extended with 41k on it. I had just lost my 2001 so my wife and I decided to get another.
I'm not an idiot and I do most ( 80 percent) repairs myself. But being that I have not bought a vehicle in some time I am gonna ask you guys/girls what should I look out for. I am buying it from a dealer and it is due for inspection this month.

So far:
Carfax is clean
Checked radiator fluid
Checked underneth for scrapes and dents
Tires have normal wear
Brakes are decent
exterior has 2 scratches
interior has 1 cig. burn
rugs are good
condensor / radiator is free of bent fins

Please let me know of anything besides metal (metallic sparkle look) filings in the oil that I may be missing.

Thx, Vince

[Cobber]

take a good look at the coolant

[cjstew4]

Originally Posted by mazzov

All,

I am in the process of buying a 2004 Venture LS Extended with 41k on it. I had just lost my 2001 so my wife and I decided to get another.
I'm not an idiot and I do most ( 80 percent) repairs myself. But being that I have not bought a vehicle in some time I am gonna ask you guys/girls what should I look out for. I am buying it from a dealer and it is due for inspection this month.

So far:
Carfax is clean
Checked radiator fluid
Checked underneth for scrapes and dents
Tires have normal wear
Brakes are decent
exterior has 2 scratches
interior has 1 cig. burn
rugs are good
condensor / radiator is free of bent fins

Please let me know of anything besides metal (metallic sparkle look) filings in the oil that I may be missing.

Thx, Vince

Get the extended warranty only if it covers intake and head gasket repairs. However, after 2002 I believe they had fixed these major design flaws.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by cjstew4

Get the extended warranty only if it covers intake and head gasket repairs. However, after 2002 I believe they had fixed these major design flaws.

If you haven't already, check out my original response to your post in the Chevrolet>NonSpecific forum. Adding to my original post I've noticed a decrease in complaints and issues on 2003 to 2005 Ventures. As I've said in another post in another forum awhile back "it seems once GM gets all the bugs out of these vehicles, it's time to discontinue the model and come out with something new and start all over again with new problems" Maybe one reason for the fewer problems so far could be the "lack of experience" these vans have, being newer and not have travelled as many miles as their older counterparts, where the problems start occuring. The components on these vans are still relatively new and haven't reached the age where any problems might surface. I've noticed the intake problem generally occurs between 60 to 100,000 miles. Mine started at 62,000 miles and roughly 4 1/2 years into service.
If you are looking into an extended warranty, make sure you know all of the provisions and what they cover, and if there are any deductibles and what they are. Also check into the reliability of the issuing company, and where you need to take the vehicle for warranty work. Some warranties stipulate the use of "used parts" can be used in the repair. And some warranties make it difficult to obtain the needed service. Just because you are buying it from a dealer and not a used car dealer doesn't neccesarily mean it's a decent warranty. Some dealers look to cut costs to make their profitability look better, and we the customer ultimately pay the price.