So we're buying an Astro Van

Went and looked at it today. 2005 AWD with Dutch doors. 88000 miles, very clean. Brought it to the dealership to give it the once over tomorrow before closing the deal. ABS/brake light on. Owner took out the fuse cause his mechanic told him that one of the sensors is probably bad. Regardless we're buying so long as nothing else is wrong. I can deal with the brake issue. The AWD light came on second time I started it to bring it to the dealership. Anybody with Astro/Safari experience comments greatly appreciated. I've been to astrosafari.com. Haven't checked out any other sites yet. I'll get pics up soon as the deal is done. (Fingers crossed). New "dog" transport, tow rig, and sleeping space at the race track.

I like those but don't need the 4x4. I wish they still had something similar

I liked my first one so much that I replaced it with a second one. The first one was 15 years old when my son wrecked it. We got 260,000 miles out of it with no major repairs. They will need the normal water pump, power steering pump kind of thing occasionally. For some reason they eat driver's side window lifts regularly but the O'Reilly replacements are guaranteed for life, I used 4 or 5 ! Mine was my tow rig for the entire 15 years and made all the long family road trips. They're a good ,dependable appliance.

If the ABS light is not caused by a wheel sensor it's likely the ground, somewhere near the back on the block.

I'm on my 2nd, a 2003 Safari AWD. It's got 154,000 on the clock and still runs like a champ, and has never had a major mechanical issue.

I would strongly, very strongly in fact, suggest draining the transfer case and refilling with Royal Purple. Mine would slip and the violently catch leaving stop lights. After some research I found that GM spec'd sub-par fluid for the TC. The fluid swap cured that problem immediately. The actual recommendation is to drain the OE fluid, refill with RP, and repeat after 20-30 miles, which is exactly what I did.

As a precaution I did the front/rear diffs at the same time.

i don't have anything bad to say about them except the driver's side spark plugs can lead to a bloody knuckle or two, and it should be a tad easier to get the doghouse off. like they should have made the seats go back a little farther. it requires a turn here/wiggle there/twist here. once you've done it you remember the sequence.

cargo vans with nothing in them get little traction in the snow, but the weight of all the interior parts in the passenger van helps, and i'm sure the awd is even better. i've only ever had 2 wheel drive cargo vans except for that one giant 3/4 ton 4x4 LS that i built. i've never sent one to the crusher because it wouldn't go anymore. i have only ever retired them because they were too ugly to go to work anymore.

Yeah getting the doghouse out requires rubbing it against the front seat fabric pretty hard iirc.

Personally, from a mechanic perspective and not having owned one, i really dislike them. Im sure its because all my experience involved working on them and driving them only briefly, but it kind of feels like a slightly smaller full size van that's slightly harder to work on. In other words, an awkward middle ground that i cant find a reason for between a vastly more ergonomical minivan and a more useful full size van.

They're decent vehicles with cheap parts and more or less totally diy-able with some aggravation, but that's all ill give them. My .02

I ended up deciding that if I wanted a van, I'd rather have a bigger van, and if I wanted something to haul stuff with that was easier to work on than a van, I'd get a truck.

The Astro is stuck between them. That can be bad and good.

I can't wait for the Nissan NV2500 to drop in price. Hopefully it's too ugly for its own (good) resale value.

Dealer said front wheel bearings, L outer tie rod, both idler and pitman arms, front shocks, and front diff pinion seal. Rest of the van in really clean shape. I can get the parts cheap and do the work myself. Sold to me at $5000. Pics to come.

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It's home.

I like that building more than the van, but congrats anyway!

I like it! Had a 2 wheel drive i flogged hard.

I had not looked at those in a while the prices around here sure have not fallen off much. I really like those!!!

I would love an astro but my wife thinks they are hideous and the lack of a 2nd sliding door would make it hard to get the kids in their seats. Yours looks well taken care of!

2002maniac wrote: I would love an astro but my wife thinks they are hideous and the lack of a 2nd sliding door would make it hard to get the kids in their seats. Yours looks well taken care of!