Chevrolet Astro Minivans | Wagons

Chevrolet Astro Minivans | Wagons 

DESCRIPTION

The Astro is powered by a 4.3-liter, 190-hp V6 with a 4-speed automatic. ABS comes standard and it sits five-eight passengers.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 171-180 of 182  
[Jul 19, 2001]
Colin Reynolds

Strength:

Pretty, dependable, firm ride (nice trade between too rough and too cushy), tremendous amounts of power... so much so that I have to make an effort not to spin the tires THROUGH first and INTO second when the road is wet... great turning radius, good gas mileage for such creature comforts as hauling the entire family, power everything, running boards, etc. I was afraid that this van would turn me into a Soccer Dad or something, and it has in a way, but still allows for tremendous coolness what with my aftermarket stereo and tire spinning ability. Want the best of both worlds? Get an Astro!

Weakness:

Eh, none that I can think of, other than just typical repair type things. at 173,000 miles- alternator, radiator, tune ups, brakes, tires, windshield wipers, and a small spot here and there where the paint needs touching up. All in all, really good for a 12 year old vehicle. The oil still looks clean even after 3,000 miles on it. Great running motor, tranny, and entire drivetrain.

Overall a great vehicle. Firstly, it is a Chevy, it is big enough without being too big, nice turning radius, wonderful for long trips, can haul all kinds of goodies and people depending on how many seats you put in or take out, pretty van, and very disarming look to it (especially in white like mine). You can speed anywhere and not have to worry with the cops coming after you. :)

Similar Products Used:

Trucks, cars.... I like my van.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 28, 2001]
Matt McCoy
Model Reviewed: Astro

Strength:

Dependable, tough, roomy, good towing rig.

Weakness:

Not a Suburban.

This has been a great family van and is still running good at 270,000 miles! I have 6 kids and tow a trailer from time to time and this rig has been perfect. I had the motor replaced about 70,000 miles ago because Oil Can Henry's in Woodburn didn't tighten the oil plug after an oil change and it came out and the motor blew. I had to sue them but that's another story. It's front end is getting a little sloppy and the paint is giving up but it's still a good truck. I'll be selling it soon but just because I bought my wife a new 2001 Astro, boy is it nice.

Similar Products Used:

Fullsize v8 van was about the same.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 04, 2001]
Rodney

Strength:

Roominess. Good ride. Seats comfortable. Ground clearance. 17 mpg highway. Brakes. Power. Ability to turn interior lamps off when doors are open. Middle seat folds down into a table.

Weakness:

Front passenger leg room is poor. Rear window wiper has no intermittent control. Engine maintenance is difficult in tight compartment. Windshield wiper has recently not worked.

I've owned my 1995 Astro LS AWD van with very few problems for the 80,000 miles I have to date. I would buy another one.
15,000 miles Passenger seat mechanism failed (warranty)
32,000 miles Front differential oil seal leak (warranty)
35,000 miles Fuel pump failed ($400)
40,000 miles Accessory belt pulley bearing ($8 myself)
65,000 miles Driver window motor ($75 installed myself)
70,000 miles Right idler arm replaced
78,000 miles muffler
Family enjoys riding in the van. We've been on several trips across the US and Canada. Dutch doors are the absolute necessity. Bench seats in rear are good for sleeping. Added my own map lights and 12V receptacles in back.
AWD is a must in my area with mountains and snow. Got 50,000 miles on my original tires. ABS brakes has performed well on snow and sand. On highway trips, the Service Engine Soon warning light comes on. Turning engine off and back on resets it.

Similar Products Used:

Drove other vans before buying Astro. Chose Astro for its room, value, capacity, and sound.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 04, 2001]
Tony L

Strength:

Roomy, nice looking van, nice a/c I was in love with it!

Weakness:

A lot of little rattles, bad service departments (I tried two different dealers, they both suck. They give you the round and round when you ask them to honor the extended warranty (which I bought)

Nice looking van, with a lot of potential that won't be there when you need it.I had several problems when I bought it brand new, but they were fixed right away. Now after 60,000 miles I have taken it to the dealer 5 times and still they have not been able to fix the problem regarding why I lose power when I'm doing 75 miles and going up hill. I don't mean the normal overload in a car in such conditions, but I lose the acceleration down to 45 miles per hour until it starts speeding up again, which causes a very dangerous situation, especially when you have some semis behind you.I adored my van until I started having these problems after 52,000 miles. Conviniently my warranty expired at 60,0000 (coincidence?) So far the service department at the dealer has left a lot to be desired from their mechanics, in other words..... they suck!

Similar Products Used:

I cannot compare it to other vans, this was my first one, but it makes me doubt about buying another one like it, no matter how much I liked it

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Aug 06, 2001]
Greg
Model Reviewed: Chevy Astro

Strength:

Towing and hauling room. Roomy and comfortable to sit in.

Weakness:

Transmission or rear end clunks when put into drive.
Have had a shake in the vans around 68mph. This is the list of things I replaced: Wheels, tires, shocks, transmission mount bushings, u joints, axel bearings, transmission bearings, steering control arms, stabalizer end links, control arm bushings, steering drag link. Have had the tires forced balanced, the drive shaft balanced, transmission service, front end allignment and still the (#%$^@*)SHAKES. The dealship admitted they could not find the problem and recomended I "sell it."

Van looks and runs great. Vans has a lot of rattles and the ride is very bad. Have done all the repairs myself or I would be broke.

Similar Products Used:

I have talked to other Chevy mini van owners who have this same mysterious shake. Poor workmanship in the drive train and suspension. They build it just strong enough to last past the factory warantee.
Maybe they need to take a few hints from Honda.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Aug 07, 2001]
ED

Strength:

Great towing vehicle, and good overall use as a work truck..... would not buy it for a family vehicle..... Get a Honda Odessy

Weakness:

Rattles and odd noises, and as with all gm's the headliner sags (bigtime). poor gas milage aprox. 15 mpg at best. slow acceleration, front passenger leg room

Me and my cousin originally bought this van used for commercial purposes as a basic work truck, and to tow our race car. We took it on a trip from Howell NJ to FT. Lauderdale Florida. I really cant complain with 130,000 miles on it it didn't break down (even with 2 20 year old guys beating the hell out of it and driving so fast the needle on the ugly speedomoter dissapeared (got a ticket in Virginia too 95mph) the only thing i can complain about is that for whoever is riding in the back the a/c sucks, and you get bounced around alot. The van has been involved in 3 accidents and u can hardly tell......IT'S TOUGH!!! No rust anywhere, needs paint but not bad, had to replace tires, shocks, starter(gave me very little trouble with not wanting to crank when it got hot), battery, alternator, brakes, headliner, floor carpet, and other expected odds and ends......all with out going broke.

Similar Products Used:

fullsize chevy van.....i own an 86 honda prelude and an 87 toyota celica, as far as an overall value the van cant even come close to touching them, but then again it's a CHEVY and it's a van...

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Aug 20, 2001]
Russio

Strength:

*Power from 4.3 Lt Vortec Engine (When A/C Off)
*Interior (No Thanks to Chevy - Van is a Van Conversion by other Company)
*Price - Got a 1995 Van Conversion in 1996 with 17,000 miles for Only $12,800 (Much cheaper than new).
*Interior room and passenger capacity

Weakness:

*Transmission/Drive Train - Has same "Clunk" Noise when it shifts that everyone else in the reviews and everyone I know who owns an Astro Van have complained about. Chevy plays stupid about the problem. Also shifts hard into 1st and 2nd when Cold. Gets better after it is driven for awhile at highway speed.
*Had to replace rear wheel seals at 20,000 miles
*Front brakes only last 10,000 - 15,000 miles
*Front end creaks and clunks when stopping and turning, thus the nickname "our titanic"
*Gone through two alternators (the bushings went out) in a year.
*Gone through two A/C Compressor clutch and pulley assembly's in a year.
I suspect the automatic belt tensioner is not so automatic and putting to much pressure on the pulleys, but Chevy denies it.
*Rear Doors leak water everytime it rains.
*Rear speakers blew out at 40,000 ,miles.
*Stupid windshield wiper motor had to be replaced twice but is typical of GM. EVERYONE who owns a GM product experiences this problem (if you haven't, you will).
*Wears tires - 20,000 - 30,000 miles if we are lucky.
*Radiator Drivers side (pressure side) tank had to be replaced twice. (Which genious decided to make the side tanks plastic?)
*Heater Core Control Valve had to be replaced.
*Transmission rear seal and shifter seal had to be replaced twice.
*Have to replace the Distributor Cap and Rotor every 25,000 - 30,000 miles. THIS IS A MUST! (If you own this van and your van starts running very rough around this mileage, ie, sputters at freeway speeds/loss of power and stalls out when turning in traffic - try replacing these. GM will tell you it is the ECG valve, but try this first. Cost $18.00 in parts and won't show up in routine computer diagnostic tests run by dealer - I learned the hard way after spending many wasted $$$$$$)
*LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE WORSE THING ABOUT THIS VAN IS THAT IT IS A GM PRODUCT. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A BIG JOKE! A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS. THE DEALER REFERS YOU TO THEM, AND THEY REFER YOU TO THE DEALER. I BELIEVE THEY REFER TO THIS AS THE PROVERBIAL "CIRCLE JERK". I'VE YET TO HAVE THEM EVER RESOLVE ANYTHING FOR ME. I GAVE UP ON THEM A LONG TIME AGO AND DON'T EVEN BOTHER WITH THEM. I'VE OWNED MANY OTHER CARS AND THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY THE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO CUSTOMER SERVICE!

Even with all the nuisance repairs listed in the weakness section, I have gotten my money's worth out of my Astro Van. At $12,800, (1 1/2 Years old with 17,000 miles) it was a STEAL! However, I would not buy an Astro Van again. I feel for those who have paid full price for their vans and have had similar problems like mine. Ironically, the best part of this van has been the interior ammenities and they were manufactured and put in there by a company other than Chevy (a Van Conversion Company). I would be less bitter about the problems I've had, if for once, Chevy Customer Service would side with the customer and not give the customer the run around. They must hire out-of-work telemarketers who finally wear you down. I don't understand why Chevy does not fix known problems in their products, ie, the faulty windshield wiper motors, the "clunking" noise in their transmissions, etc. Would get more of a sense that they do care about their customers if they would just fix known problems or stand by them. It's discouraging to see by reading these reviews and talking with other Astro Van owners that some of these problems are inherent in vans spanning a 10 - 15 year period without these problems being resolved. I have about 105,000 miles on my van and plan to dump it in a year or two. I have to take it in to the shop again tomorrow - go figure. More nickel and dime stuff....

Similar Products Used:

*1989 Dodge Caravan - 4 Cylinder Sled, no power or comparison
*1990 Chevy Lumina Van - All and all a good van - Lost power/compression at
85,000 miles. Could not hit 55 MPH on hills. Transmission/Drive train was week (just like my Astro Van). Drove much better than Astro Van.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Aug 20, 2001]
Gary
Model Reviewed: Astro

Strength:

AWD is van-tastic. Roomy for the soccer kids and moms. Dependable. Sets up high and gives a safe feeling. I feel safe knowing that my family is in it. That in itself carries a lot of weight.

Weakness:

Something going wrong all the time. But in all fairness if I was not spending money repairing it I would just spend it on something else - vacations maybe.

My Astro has 64,000 miles on it. Windshield wiper works when it wants to. Can not find the problem. Gas gauge either reads empty or full. Dealer now wants to drop tank. Replaced all front end components at 35,000 miles. I am now on my 4th set of tires. Van road walks bad. You really have to pay attention. This gets annoying on trips! Sqeaks and rattles are terrible especially in the dash. Wind noise is heavy. Brakes must be closely monitored. It wears them out quick. Driver leg room, due to the wheel well is terrible. Basically its a van body dropped on a truck frame. Now for the good stuff. It has been dependable. Nice for the kid and friends. AWD is a must. I would have to think long and hard before buying another. GM has made this van for years and needs to do some major engineering changes.

Similar Products Used:

Hard to beat a 4-Runner

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Aug 20, 2001]
Robert burke
Model Reviewed: Astro AWD

Strength:

I think I got a "monday" built van...

Weakness:

It could, at any time, turn into a "friday" built van.. bummer...

This is an addendum to my review submitted on 3/4/01...
I recently received an e-mail from another '99 AWD owner concerning his expirence with his front drivetrain "clunking/binding" whenever he made tight turns (either left OR right)..
MY van also had this annoyance when I first bought it.. I thought that it MIGHT be a normal trade-off for having the AWD option.. My 1995 Toyota Tacoma would do the same thing when in 4-wheel drive so I just figured all 4x4-types did it as a result of the tight turn overpowering the gearing teeth (or whatever..DUH !!)..
Anyway,about 3 months after buying mine, i noticed either another '99 AWD or a '00 AWD in the local Chevy dealers used car lot..I decided that ,for piece of mind, I would take that AWD for a test drive just to see if it too had "binding".. Much to my surprise, it had NO clunking/chatter at all..It was buteery smooth in even full lock tight turns..
Thus, i took mine into the service department and told the people what I had discovered.. They said that it was caused by the differential fluid NOT being a SYNTHETIC fluid.. The later models had the problem corrected when new,but some older (early-in-the-year) vans needed the differential fluid changed out to SYNTHETIC.. No problem..NO b.s.ing me around..just the simple facts..
They had it changed out in short order and, I'll be danged -- that FIXED the problem.. It's really amazing to me that a fluid can completely alter your driving expirence.. I guess I was just fortunate that my local dealer was a "good" one insteading of just giving me the " oh,they ALL do that" kind of crap..
So,i am passing this info on to everyone else who has decided to tolerate this very disconcerting annoyance .. SYNTHETIC differential fluid WILL eliminate the clunking/chattering..It's True It's True..
I am also assuming that this fix would apply to any pre-'99 AWD vans,too..

As an update to my 3/4/01 evaluation, I have had my van in Colorado for almost 12 months now and it has performed FLAWLESSLY..I must have lucked out and got a "monday" built van (as opposed to a "friday" built piece of junk ).. It has handled the mountain passes with no adverse effort. Power is still excellent..It's handling is super taunt thanks to the "lift" I had done to it..No body wallow AT ALL when taking corners or when on swithback-type roads..I think of installing a power chip and /or catback exhaust system at times..Maybe later...It still has NO rattles even after being pounded by the "washboard" Forest Service dirt roads out here in Colo.. What a great toy..
Oh yeah,it now has 45,000 miles on it and has been problem-free..It had 17,000 (i think) on it when I bought it..

Similar Products Used:

...........

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 18, 2001]
Eddie
Model Reviewed: chevy astro

Strength:

doesn,t burn that much gas,very reliable, had for a year all i had to do was get a tune up and brake pads. very roomy

Weakness:

poor acceleration when using air conditioner.rear bed uncomfortable,
abs sometimes kicks in when hitting small bump during braking.middle seats
should be a little higher.

Out of all the vans I owned the 94 model by far is the best(1986,1989)
don,t hear that annoying rattle I kept hearing in the other models.
I get great gas mileage. very roomy it,s like a private room on wheels
haven,t had any mechanical problems so far, but just like the 1989 and 86
iI expect the head gaskets to blow at about 200,000 miles

Similar Products Used:

1986 and 1989 model

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
Showing 171-180 of 182  

(C) Copyright 1996-2018. All Rights Reserved.

carreview.com and the ConsumerReview Network are business units of Invenda Corporation

Other Web Sites in the ConsumerReview Network:

mtbr.com | roadbikereview.com | carreview.com | photographyreview.com | audioreview.com