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GMC Safari/Chevy Astro

1889 messages,  Last post on Nov 13, 2009 at 9:04 AM

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What is this discussion about? GMC Safari, Chevrolet Astro, Van

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#31 of 1889 I like my Van "Astro" by ivanware Jul 11, 2000 (3:52 am)
I bought this in March of 1999 for $1200. It is a 92 and at the time had 264,000 miles on the original engine. The van had been used as a flower delivery truck. The only engine problem I have encountered is that it does need a ring job because it does smoke. My mechanic recommended 20w50 weight oil and "no smoke" as a much cheaper remedy which has worked great. I have had the same problem with the door handles but these are cheap to fix(less than $40). I have been very pleased with its performance. It now has 290,500 miles and is running great I highly recommend this van.
#32 of 1889 99 GMC SAFARI QUALITY by smulvey Jul 24, 2000 (2:57 am)
I have a 1999 with 33K miles on it. I get about 20 MPG in warm weather. I get 15-16 in cold weather. I use a block h eater and i also use synthetic 15-50W motor oil. I have very happy with the van. It has a good comfort level for me and my kids when they ride with me. I ordered this van with the positraction rear axle which is only about $ 300 vs $ 795 for AWD. Also this rides better and it pulls very well and gets better MPG than AWD. I have had the van for some time now. LAst winter i found the stock "tiger paw " tires to be useless on a mild ice coating so i replaced with four cooper snow tires . Fabulous improvement. I left them on until last week. With snow tires, my sample cases in the back and the positraction , plus the great ground clearance the vans has been great in all types of driving. Also you get a good view of the road in the bad weather and you are a little bit higher than some of the road spray. The wind does not seem to bother it very much either. I think I had more wind effect from my Chevy Caprice than the van! Highly reccomend this van to anyone needed a good all around unit that can carry people , "Stuff" ( like a Sear Lawn Tractor maybe?) and be economical to drive and SAFE in bad weather. Anti Skid brakes well nice too! One note: You will sit higher in this van than most pickups and all other " mini-vans" on the road. Do not get too snobby. OK? We Safari people don't want to get a reputation. Can we help it if others have bought the wrong vehicle ?
#33 of 1889 right on, astro here by chris173 Jul 31, 2000 (4:26 am)
we love our 95 LT 2wd it does all well but snow,we can tow up to 5000 lbs with it. Ours has the limited slip rear also (more useful for mud and towing then snow). All our friends try to tow with minivans without tow packages and worry that they will make it up hills whale we just turn of the overdrive and fly up hills with 3000lbs in tow. this van is great we would recomended it to any one.
#34 of 1889 Safari handling issues by dgregg Aug 04, 2000 (1:53 am)
Bought a new 2000 Safari and like it overall, but it feels like it floats and doesn't seem to track smoothly in wind, curves, etc. This is during ordinary driving. This week I towed my 2000# pop-up camper and had to be on constant alert due to periodic fishtailing when changing lanes, being passed, crosswind, etc. I have pulled this same camper thousands of miles with two different Mercury Villagers and never had a sway problem. Has anyone had similar experience with handling on the Astro/Safari?
#35 of 1889 Safari handling issues by looram Aug 10, 2000 (11:54 pm)
I traded my 97 Safari in for a 2000 Astro AWD this past January. My 97 use to do the same as your 2000 does,sort of floating when being passed etc. I found that if I loosened up on the sway bars it corrected the problem. Of course if your not using sway bars then ignore this. In addition, I was way over weight, I was towing about 6000 lbs. I know thats alot but my Safari never overheated, nor did I have any other problems while towing. I bought my 2000 Astro because we moved to Nebraska from California. So far it has worked great in the little snow we got this past winter. The AWD though really sucks when it comes to miles to the gallon. I drove back to California this past summer and the best millage I got was 18 MPG, that was flat freeway,65mph cruise control, not towing anything. Not very good considering its a V-6.
#36 of 1889 Chev. Astro by digger9 Aug 12, 2000 (8:34 pm)
Own a 93 Astro CL. 4.3 engine seems bullit proof, now has 155k on it and is using a little oil, approx 1 qt every 1-1.5 months. Keep oil and other fluids changed regularly but the body is going south quickley. New York winters are tough!
#37 of 1889 '98 Astro low quality by jackm4 Aug 16, 2000 (5:10 pm)
We purchased a '98 Astro LT May 1998. I had to replace the transmission at 41k, no dealer/manufacturer help at all. Buy it new and you get 36k mile warranty. Buy a new trans to put in it and get a 50k mile warranty. Explain that one to me. Also, our gas pedal sticks, tensioner arm for the s-belt broke off, fuel pump hums like crazy, squeaks and rattles everywhere. Has anyone else had similar problems? Chevrolet is totally unwilling to accept any responsibility for either a bad design or bad quality. Help!
#38 of 1889 90,000 miles and still going strong by medinamalibu Aug 20, 2000 (11:29 pm)
Just turned over 90k on our 1996 Chevy Astro van this morning on the way back from a long drive. The ride is forgivable when you need to help move a family member halfway across the country. Acceleration is slow but strong. Going full-speed up the hills on Missouri's I-70 was a simple matter of natural selection. Between 70 and 75 MPH the wind noise coming through the driver's side pillar was really annoying, so to kill some boredom I stuck my fingers into the weather-stripping around the door. The wind noise varied greatly when I did this, so at our next rest stop I messed around with the weather-stripping, pulling and twisting and folding it. Back at highway speed, the wind noise level was actually lower, so my guess is that with the thousands of times that door has been opened and closed it has compressed the rubber seal to the point where it no longer makes full contact. All we need to do now (besides get the oil changed again) is head down to the local Chevy dealership and have them install a new seal. I said last week that this old truck has probably only traveled half the miles it's gonna see in its lifetime.
#39 of 1889 Hi All by trdolley Aug 21, 2000 (11:35 pm)
Question: I am looking at 1995 and 1996 Chevy Astro vans. All are listed as 4.3l V-6 engines, but some are listed as "Vortec" 4.3l V-6, or "high output" 4.3l V-6. Did Chevy introduce the Vortec V-6 in 1995 or 1996 (I heard it was 1995) and did all Astro vans of that year come with Vortec V-6 or was this an upgrade from an ordinary V-6? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!! TOM Replies to this message: cvyastro (Aug 08, 2006 9:49 pm)
#40 of 1889 Great Vans, strong heart by henkel Aug 22, 2000 (2:55 am)
Hello. I am a big fan of Safari/Astro vans. Mine is up to 236000. I have had a few friends get over 200k as well. From reading town hall I get the feeling the newer vans are not as tough. I am considering replacing mine with another Safari/Astro. 1995 looks like a good year any suggestions? I have 2wd now and am looking at AWD. It is the best Van around if you don't mind putting new brakes and tires on constantly... I have had to replace the usual fuel pump and alternator by now, but drive train seems unbeatable. Just look around they are everywhere.. Max Replies to this message: rsalty (Aug 12, 2005 10:04 pm)

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