Towing capacity of 4500 lbs, 7 passenger seating with 4 captain chairs and rear fold-down bench, excellant stop(ABS) and go(AWD) traction in snow.

The wheels have been aligned 8 times and the vehicle still does not drive a straight line. It has under 45,000 miles and I have already replaced 6 tires and I'm about halfway through the current set.

I shopped around to get exactly what I thought I wanted. I paid a lot of money, 28k on a 30k sticker. The vehicle pulled slightly the day I drove it off the lot. I was told it was no problem whatsoever to fix a slight pull. I've just plain given up the battle.

This car has been in service a lot. It is always at least a week to get an appointment and they have never fixed the alignment problem. The driver's window is the current problem, it won't go up.

I am looking to replace the van now and it won't be with another
Chevrolet.

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Previously owned a Dodge Caravan which was a pleasure to drive on the highway and required very low maintenance. I may buy a Durango.

4.3 V6 horsepower and torque, RWD, roominess, good looks, towing capacity

Three AC compressors failed so far... thank goodness I still have a 7 yr/100,000 mile extended warranty so far ($550 up front has saved me about $3K). Noisy steering rods and front suspension on driveways, etc. Vortec engine a little raw and noisy, terrible gas mileage (approx 12-17 mpg)

$17,400 new + Tax and license (thanks to GM discount). I would recommend it for it's obvious applications: hauling lots of stuff, good looks, RWD (what, you think I'd consider a FWD Ford Windstar? Give me a break!)

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N/A

when new accelerated well, good for towing, comfortable and roomy, reclining seats

styling, ergonomics, road noise, sidewind stability, center caps on wheels broke off.

this van has held up exceptionaly for being a domestic vehicle. It passed smog with flying colors with over 205k miles, no major repairs needed tranny is a bit worn and tired

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None

Good power/4.3V6. Comfortable,roomy. Holds TONS of stuff and still performs like a champ. Nice on the highway.

Front Accessory Bracket cracked and had to be replaced.
Sliding door had a few problems.

I bought mine used and it still runs like new. No major problems. It's a good family car, but it also makes a fun project car for a teen....like me.

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Compares nicely with a SUV. The Astro can run with the best of them.

Good power and torque for seemingly effortless uphill driving, roomy enough to hold seven people w/ gear comfortably, looks pretty damn good for a mini-van

The winshield wiper flew off while we were driving (in the rain!)

A couple of co-workers and I had rented this mini-van for our trip to Mtn. High. I was well surprised by the power of this vehicle. Except for the whole winshield wiper incident, the mini-van was quite comfortable and capable of all our desires.

Bought this van new in 88 and now have 110,000 on it. Overall it has been excellent mechanically. Other than routine maintenance, I replaced the valve stem seals (not expensive to do and a common item with the 4.3L V6) replaced the rear axel seals, and in 2000 the AC compressor gave it up.. Those could probably be considered routine too considering the age. I tow quite a bit with it and it works great for that. The transmission is still hanging in there with no problems. Have the 8 passenger version and has been good for hauling kids. Also, this is amazing for a MN vehicle, but it has NO rust on it yet.

I have the 2WD version and it has terrible traction in snow or ice. I would get AWD if I was buying one in snow country.

Overall it has been an outstanding vehicle for reasons listed above.

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Suburban - Much easier to park and it fits in the garage!

Lots of room in the interior. For an older van it is quite comfortable.Drives like a truck.

I am convinced that the air conditioning is unreplacable. On my third attempt (that is not working) I have given up with the new r134 conversion. I am going to have an RV air conditioner mounted on top.Also the power steering bracket(and for everything else) has a tendency to crack and need replacing. It is a real pain in that tight space to replace.

I bought this van with the hope of rebuilding it. The Van had approximately 120,000 or 220,000 hard driven miles on it. First of all I got it so cheap because the motor and transmission needed to be rebuilt. It also needed a paint job. I went ahead and had the motor and transmission rebuilt. Anything I could buy new to make it more dependable I did. Those were guaranteed replacement parts.

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Dodge and Fords are nice but my chevy can be fixed without bankrupting me.
I think I will go with a Honda Mini-van next time.

-TUFF
-most reliable van on the market
-4.3L V6 is the best, most reliable engine ever made
-Good paint, '86 has very little rust and what it has is just a little under door
-powerful, can tow about anything
-built like a truck
-8 seats
-Mine has 190K on it and has never had any problems with the engine, had to rebuild the tranny once but no car is perfect.
-bought a 1992 chysler to replace it and now the chrysler is dead and astro is still running great

-rear wheel drive(but this is also good, makes it more truck like)

These are the best vans ever made and i wouldnt buy and other minivan other than a windstar or venture and even those arent better than an astro. venture and windstar are more family orientated while the 'stro is built more like a truck. Tuff go anywhere vehicle. Everyone should own a couple of these.

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Chysler
Ford Windstar
Chrysler's suck, dont buy em, tranny will drop all the time (ours has 115k and dropped its tranny 4 times. Windstars are great but not as powerful and not as reliable.

This van is great for towing a boat for those of us that don't want a Truck or SUV. Lots of power, comfortable ride on smooth roads. Holds a lot of people and their stuff! The dutch door is great for loading and unloading stuff in the rain. (I live in Washington state, we get a lot of it!)6 of eight seats are extrememy comfortable, the armrest to seat conversion is fine for kids. AWD works amazingly well in snow and on the boat ramp.

In order of weakness:
1) BROOKS CHEVROLET, Bellevue, WA. They appear to lack in technical ability to fix anything. Check out your dealers reputation before committing your dollars.
2) GM Customer Support was surprisingly non responsive to getting my problem resolved. Letters and phone calls were recieved with little interest.
3)Leg room for front passenger is really limited.
4)There need to be a button to kill all the reading lights in the van. My kids are notorious for turning on a light in the back row to read or draw and killing the battery by the next morning.
5)Oddly enough this van rides like a truck. On bumpy roads, hang on! However it is the truck frame and suspension that allows one to pull a lot of weight. Not a bad trade-off.

I am pleased with the ASTRO, all mechanical problems should have been easily resolved when purchased. After 69,000 miles, thermostate replacement was the only service experience I have had. Getting in and out of boat ramps is easy with the power and AWD. Very happy with the van. If you have no need to tow or haul a lot of weight or volume, you might look at the van on car frame models--better mpg and smoother ride. When you compare this to an SUV it is a great deal! Almost half the cost of an Urban assalt vehicle, with equal or more seating capacity. SUV's are for people that don't have the guts to admit they need their fathers station wagon, or their mother van,and they pay a premium price to hold their ego's together. Don't understimate the value of a competent dealer!

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Hard to find a comparison of a van that can tow a boat. When the caravan class vehicles state a towing weight of 3200lbs, remember that is an empty van with just a 150lb driver. Throw in the rest of your family, ice chest and camping equipment, your 3200lbs max drops pretty quickly.

Although I had to complain about it for a few reasons...the van held up great overall. It was fast enough (for a van) and stopped quick enough (obviously, for a van) and offered enough space to carry virtually anything you wanted. No MAJOR problems...

Well...there's a list. But I shouldn't really say that, because alot of the problems are wear and tear and should be expected. At one point in the car's life..near the end of the lease....something actually shattered off of the engine and smashed into the hood..causing a dent (don't ask how) and left the van stranded in the middle of the road...blocking it, that is. It was rolled back to its house (in the neighborhood). Van was pushed hard..I can't say it wasn.t

Overall? Great vehicle. Reliable for the most part, with the normal wear and tear. GM brakes worked wonders once again..causing the rotors to love warping :) But, you expect it when you buy these vehicles. Was leased, so had no problems getting the problems fixed. Altho, this was a converted version of the Astro and came with the Audiovox television which blew more than once..piece of....well either way, still fairly good car :)

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I suppose the Dodge Grand Caravan, and Gladiator Edition Vans, etc.