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  1. #9051
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    Jul 2016
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    Quote Originally Posted by muted reborn View Post
    Astrovans before 94 or 95 got one star in crash ratings. And I don't think they were rated over 20 mpg. And they got horrible reviews at the time for reliability - I get what SVS is saying.
    I had two Safaris- one an ‘85 that took me to AK and back twice and all over the west when I was in my twenties. They weren’t perfect but the basic formula was very utilitarian and useful. Once the engine was broken in, the 85 got about 25 mpg. My second one was an 02 AWD and it got about 19 mpg. Both went well past 200k miles. They were mostly reliable and when they did need repairs, parts were cheap at least. If GM updated the design and started building them again I would buy one.

  2. #9052
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    Jul 2009
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    Seattle
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    923
    My 2000 awd Astro has 205k miles, and counting

  3. #9053
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    Apr 2021
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    2,831
    Quote Originally Posted by muted reborn View Post
    Astrovans before 94 or 95.....
    Quote Originally Posted by Brownski View Post
    I had two Safaris- one an ‘85 that took me to AK and back twice and all over the west when I was in my twenties. They weren’t perfect but the basic formula was very utilitarian and useful. Once the engine was broken in, the 85 got about 25 mpg. My second one was an 02 AWD and it got about 19 mpg. Both went well past 200k miles. They were mostly reliable and when they did need repairs, parts were cheap at least. If GM updated the design and started building them again I would buy one.
    So the '85 got 25mpg because it was RWD, right? Not AWD as those were under 20mpg. Glad to hear it lasted so long, no way in hell I'd drive one to Ak though, ha. And the '02 - I wasn't talking about later models.

    Quote Originally Posted by sklar View Post
    My 2000 awd Astro has 205k miles, and counting
    I wasn't talking about later models.

    How much time and money did you guys spend repairing your vans?

  4. #9054
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
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    Gaperville, CO
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    5,843
    Quote Originally Posted by muted reborn View Post
    How much time and money did you guys spend repairing your vans?
    I put 70k hard (e.g. all to-from mountains, and lots of FS roads) on my last astro. Bought at 120k, sold at 190k. In that time I spent about 3k on repairs according to my records. ~800 for lower intake manifold gasket, ~1.1k on a differential rebuild, and ~1k in various suspension and brake parts (2 sets of idler arms, structs/shocks, new pads/rotors.)

    I bought it for 5.5k, sold it for 5k (cash in hand within 4hrs of posting -- so probably too cheap.) 3.5k loss including repairs for 70k miles seems completely reasonable. People acting like Astros are unreliable POS are misinformed. Any van of 20 years of age is going to require work.

    All that said, I'm not in a Sienna. It's much more comfortable for long trips and mountain commuting. More reliable. But it cost 3x+ what my Astros did.

  5. #9055
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    May 2016
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    Quote Originally Posted by doebedoe View Post
    I put 70k hard (e.g. all to-from mountains, and lots of FS roads) on my last astro. Bought at 120k, sold at 190k. In that time I spent about 3k on repairs according to my records. ~800 for lower intake manifold gasket, ~1.1k on a differential rebuild, and ~1k in various suspension and brake parts (2 sets of idler arms, structs/shocks, new pads/rotors.)

    I bought it for 5.5k, sold it for 5k (cash in hand within 4hrs of posting -- so probably too cheap.) 3.5k loss including repairs for 70k miles seems completely reasonable. People acting like Astros are unreliable POS are misinformed. Any van of 20 years of age is going to require work.

    All that said, I'm not in a Sienna. It's much more comfortable for long trips and mountain commuting. More reliable. But it cost 3x+ what my Astros did.
    https://providence.craigslist.org/ct...397151013.html

    What do you all say to this astro? Awd. He sent pics of interior. It looks ok although I would remove some of it. 60k miles
    edit: original owner! he doesn't use it anymore and it needs a deep cleaning but overall in amazing shape for a 21 year old. It's been for sale for 2 weeks. It's really hard to say what it's worth. asking 6500. I feel like I could pull the back seats and throw a bed in there for starters.
    Last edited by jhyatt; 11-03-2021 at 06:54 AM.
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  6. #9056
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    Oct 2003
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    slc
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    17,855
    Those rims are bitchin AF.

  7. #9057
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    Apr 2021
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    Quote Originally Posted by doebedoe View Post
    People acting like Astros are unreliable POS are misinformed. Any van of 20 years of age is going to require work.
    The 1st gen required lots of work 20 years ago though. Maybe I'm misinformed, I'll give you that - but do people really claim they are reliable vehicles? it's one or the other. I have a 22 year old ford van, yes they require replacing old worn out parts but that's not because they are unreliable, as you said.

    Anyways, if you guys like those Astros - great. I'll shut up now.

    Jhyatt , that looks to be worth $1k, ha.

  8. #9058
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    Oct 2010
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    1,943
    That’s a sweet Astro! What sort of “minor work” does it need?

  9. #9059
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    Jan 2014
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    Quote Originally Posted by muted reborn View Post
    The 1st gen required lots of work 20 years ago though. Maybe I'm misinformed, I'll give you that - but do people really claim they are reliable vehicles? it's one or the other. I have a 22 year old ford van, yes they require replacing old worn out parts but that's not because they are unreliable, as you said.

    Anyways, if you guys like those Astros - great. I'll shut up now.

    Jhyatt , that looks to be worth $1k, ha.
    Reliability is not a yes/no, it's a spectrum. VW bus/eurovan (rare AWD) < Astro (common AWD) < E150 (no AWD) < Sienna (common AWD

    The weak points in the Astro a bad lower intake manifold gasket, a front suspension design that needs rebuilding every 50k if you're driving a lot off road, and a slightly underbuilt transmission (shipped with the 4L60E while the 4L80E would've been better if towing frequently or hauling an overbuilt van to/from mountains) (though I had two that went to near 200k fine -- which is 2000 vehicles was consider a damn long time.)

    6500 seems a touch high -- but there aren't many low mileage ones out there. But what else can you get in the 5k price range? Maybe a ranger with a topper (less comfy, more reliable). Anything of that age is going to have worn parts even if low mileage -- need to factor that into price.
    Last edited by doebedoe; 11-03-2021 at 12:41 PM.

  10. #9060
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    panhandle locdog
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    7,835
    I think the problem with Astro vans is most people treated them like trucks not vans, but they weren't built as heavy duty as even the 1/2 trucks of the era. So you will get "lemons" that were used by contractors as trucks or families towing the 6000lb ski boat to Lake Powell and beat on like they were 3/4 trucks.

  11. #9061
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Huntsville, UT
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    224
    If anyone in the SLC area is interested in an AWD Astro, I’m going to be selling mine when I get out there after Thanksgiving. ‘99 with 116k miles. I’ll post a proper add in few weeks…

  12. #9062
    Join Date
    May 2016
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    2,521
    Quote Originally Posted by doebedoe View Post
    Reliability is not a yes/no, it's a spectrum. VW bus/eurovan (rare AWD) < Astro (common AWD) < E150 (no AWD) < Sienna (common AWD

    The weak points in the Astro a bad lower intake manifold gasket, a front suspension design that needs rebuilding every 50k if you're driving a lot off road, and a slightly underbuilt transmission (shipped with the 4L60E while the 4L80E would've been better if towing frequently or hauling an overbuilt van to/from mountains) (though I had two that went to near 200k fine -- which is 2000 vehicles was consider a damn long time.)

    6500 seems a touch high -- but there aren't many low mileage ones out there. But what else can you get in the 5k price range? Maybe a ranger with a topper (less comfy, more reliable). Anything of that age is going to have worn parts even if low mileage -- need to factor that into price.
    Thanks. I'm going to look at it tomorrow. Anything specific you suggest looking at? The dude just says it's very sorry inside and needs a deep clean. Outside is dirty and has cosmetic issues.
    Basically I spend a few months a year living out of my outback. This spring is sabbatical so will be even more. I can and probably never will be able to afford/justify a sprinter. So I see this as my cheap way to try this out. If it sucks, well I tried.
    If it's all ok mechanically, I would pull back seats, build a platform and storage and make the passenger seat swivel. Get a jackery type battery setup. My biggest gripe with the outback is not being able to sit up inside unless I am in the front seats which sucks. Not a big deal in the summer, but sucks in the winter.
    But I also don't worry about the outback mechanically because it's not that old and I use it as a car to get to work etc when I am not out playing over the summer.
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  13. #9063
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    Jan 2014
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    Gaperville, CO
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    Look at the coolant -- ensure it's a reasonable quantity (e.g. no big leaks at the LIM gasket). Listen for any off whines from differentials (shouldn't be an issue with that mileage). Expect to replace front idler arms in the near future if steering feels loose. Look on the door jam for G80 in the VIN indicating a LSD in the rear (you're still fine without one, just a bonus.) Get under and see how bad the rust is... most common spot for body rust is in front of the passenger side rear tire by the sliding door.

    Expect the window regulators / power locks to not work or fail.

    Nice thing about interior builds of astro is they are dead easy since they are square and roomy. Rear seats fold flat which make for building a bed platform easy and keeping capacity for 4-5 adults. I'd personally plan to pull off a lot of that trim if i bought it as it'll get pulled off by a FS road.

  14. #9064
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    NY
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Artist Formerly Known as Leavenworth Skier View Post
    I think the problem with Astro vans is most people treated them like trucks not vans, but they weren't built as heavy duty as even the 1/2 trucks of the era.
    Truth. Of course the great thing about them was that with the seats out, they did a damn good imitation of a 1/2 ton, including being long enough to fit plywood in the xl and the second generation. They were just capable enough that overloading them was almost irresistible.

    The RI van below looks pretty good to me. It all depends on how much work it needs.

  15. #9065
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    Dec 2018
    Location
    DownEast
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    3,206
    Quote Originally Posted by jhyatt View Post
    Thanks. I'm going to look at it tomorrow. Anything specific you suggest looking at? The dude just says it's very sorry inside and needs a deep clean. Outside is dirty and has cosmetic issues.
    Bring a black light and look for stains.

    Or at least look for mold. That shit can fuck you up.

  16. #9066
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    1,291
    The conversion van tops can start leaking at the seams. The extra few inches of head room are so nice I think it’s worth the risk. Like the big windows too. Probably not great for heat retention but less claustrophobic.


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  17. #9067
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    2,269
    Vanlife inflation is retarded.

    However did see this guy driving through Minnesota/Wisconsin earlier today.

    https://www.instagram.com/gingervanman/?hl=en

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  18. #9068
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    On a genuine ol' fashioned authentic steam powered aereoplane
    Posts
    16,775
    Just got my 5kw chinese heater in the mail today from Falcon. Stoked. Now to find a good box for the build.

  19. #9069
    Join Date
    May 2016
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    2,521
    Quote Originally Posted by lifelinksplit View Post
    Vanlife inflation is retarded.
    Yes, but will it end? When? I don't think people will start dumping vans for years.
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  20. #9070
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    base of the Bush
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    14,848
    If you buy that Astro it is just screaming for a howling wolf/ moon mural.

  21. #9071
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
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    2,831
    Quote Originally Posted by jhyatt View Post
    Yes, but will it end? When? I don't think people will start dumping vans for years.
    It's not all #vanlife making things crazy, it's #brokelife fueling demand. Cheap vans aren't cheap anymore because IMO people are buying them vans and living in them across the country. I could probably find 10-20 examples around my workplace cruising around for about 10-20 minutes, i know there's some go-to places in SLC where they congregate and also there's single randoms in various neighborhoods near the interstate and a bit beyond. I see this happening in plenty of other places out west too. Out East? I have no idea what jacks the prices there, maybe the same thing?

  22. #9072
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    Jan 2014
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    Gaperville, CO
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    Even an $80k van looks pretty reasonable compared to housing in many places people want to live.

  23. #9073
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    May 2008
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    On a genuine ol' fashioned authentic steam powered aereoplane
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    Yup. Vanlife was (still is for most) a pretty fringe lifestyle, but with RE prices out of most people's reach and....at least for now.....being able to live in a 100k van for two years and then sell it for almost no $$ lost it actually kinda makes sense.

    A van would be way cheaper than my apartment right now. At least you have something at the end of the day. Renting is just setting piles of cash on fire every month.

  24. #9074
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    Apr 2007
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    Tahoe
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    16,104
    Quote Originally Posted by The Artist Formerly Known as Leavenworth Skier View Post
    I think the problem with Astro vans is most people treated them like trucks not vans, but they weren't built as heavy duty as even the 1/2 trucks of the era. So you will get "lemons" that were used by contractors as trucks or families towing the 6000lb ski boat to Lake Powell and beat on like they were 3/4 trucks.
    Wonder whats happened to jhyatt's potential one. Rear bumper sags so much it's showing where it's supported and the front door doesn't match up. Also I've never seen an AWD that wasn't badged as such. Those aren't just for marketing it's also for folks at chain control, etc.
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  25. #9075
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    Dec 2020
    Location
    Idaho
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    1,711
    Quote Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian View Post
    Yup. Vanlife was (still is for most) a pretty fringe lifestyle, but with RE prices out of most people's reach and....at least for now.....being able to live in a 100k van for two years and then sell it for almost no $$ lost it actually kinda makes sense.

    A van would be way cheaper than my apartment right now. At least you have something at the end of the day. Renting is just setting piles of cash on fire every month.

    I'd bet you if I rented instead of bought and upgraded homes through the years I'd be way ahead. At the end of the day as a homeowner there are piles of bills (made worse by TA2017) and tons of risk. Putting the money in a low cost, large cap US equity fund and letting it ride would have been a solid, no hassle alternative.

    In 30 years we've also spent 3 of them living less than well doing remodels, living in the basements-twice, and cooking in the garage. Then spent years paying off the HELOC's. Not to mention the taxes, maintenance(doing and/or paying for), insurance, fuel oil, etc etc and aggravation.

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