Vehicle looks good, 5.7 engine is strong and overall ride is decent.

Warm-up mode of the engine make it run faster and louder in the cold mornings. This "mode" also happens in 90+ temperatures after driving for several hours and stopping at a traffic light.

I ordered a 2002 Express Passenger Van in early 2002 and found that the quality was a lot less than I had expected. Two common problems were: loose fitting plastic interior trim and the sideview mirrors that vibrate excessively at highway speeds. During winter weather, the snow melts on the roof and drains to the rear of the vehicle and down the rear tail lights an onto the lower hinge supports for the rear cargo doors. Due to light to heavy "ice" build-up at this concealed hinge area, the doors will not open without damaging the trim panels. Broke my first panel within our first 200 miles of use. Local Dealer was been very helpful to repair the problem and to attempt to determine the cause and "fix it". Third winter season so far, and we have had frequent ice problems even though the winters have been considered very mild. Chevrolet says: my vehicle has the only known problem. Anyone owning an 1997 - 2004 Express or Savana van have a similar occurrence with ice build-up ? Please contact me.

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92 GMC Passenger Van, 87 Suburban

Long wheel base, great brakes, much safer than Ford's van, overall size, room in back of last row (unlike Ford), great looking (and different) front end. Alot of vehicle for the money (especially if you know the rebates, incentives, dealer costs, etc.)

No AWD on long wheelbase. Tranny and overall workmanship, drivetrain (6.0 Vortex) is overrated. My 5.4 Ford, with 50 less HP felt faster. The Ford has better controls and interior. No interior lights on last row, no 12V plug in the passenger seats, way too much plastic, doors do not stay open, needs more sound deadening.

I sold my '97 Ford Club Wagon, and custom built my new Express b/c it is vastly safer. The Ford has a short wheelbase, lousy brakes, and drives like a rig. The Express is much, much easier to drive. Excellent brakes and steering. However, reliabilty (and I own 10 Chevies) has not been great. The tranny already has been replaced (3 weeks to locate), the steering is making noise, A/C is not as good as the Ford, and the interior is more plasticky than even I've seen. On-star is useless (and cost me $600), but do get the heated mirrors with turn signals and the base rear end (3.73) with optional limited slip. The dealers down here don't like working on the vehicle, as it is so large. The van actually rides better than my '01 2500 Suburban. '04 will be even safer with Stability Control.

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1997 Ford Clubwagon, 2001 Chevy Suburban 2500, 2003 Chevy Avalanche.

Solid 5.7 v8 power, reasonable handling, with winter tires, pretty solid in snow. ROOOMY. Gas mileage was OK but you don't buy one of these to save fuel. Styling is top notch for the full size segment, especially like the large glass area for visibility in the passenger model. Front/Rear Heat/AC system is really strong. Very Comfortable to drive on long trips with the power seat adjustments, would like to have adjustable lumbar support like the chevy truck seats.

Brakes. Had to replace the first set at 30,000 KM. Tip: If in Canada go to Midas and install their Lifetime brakes, My first set of Midas brakes was still going strong and I traded the van with 115,000KM this weekend. Cheap Plastic interior trim on door panels. Lack of cup holders for rear passengers. Had Power Steering Pump develop leak as others reported, and also had the problem with the intake manifold gasket going, and allowing coolant into engine. GM engineers need to deal with these issues.

Purchased a 1999 Chevrolet Express 1500 LS new in 1999. Overall I think it was a wonderful vehicle for our family, We have 6 kids, and often haul one or more of our dogs to Dog Shows. The cargo capacity of the full size van makes for a LUV (Large Utility Vehicle. I have to admit I'm disappointed in the reliability of the vehicle, for something that should share components with the legendary chevy trucks, it seems to be built completely differently. Overall: This seems to be a great vehicle, plagued by some nitpicky engineering problems, but if you cover your tracks with an extended warranty, I think it's the best in class. I'm now driving a new 2003 AWD GMC Savana with the 5.3 V8, will see how it holds up ...

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I have a 1997 Chev Silverado Pickup with the 5.7 v8 and with 158,000KM it's still going strong. Out Grew 1994 Dodge Grand Caravan. NOTE: The 4 star rating is only because I think that this is the "rel

I manage a fleet of over 30 Chevrolet Express 3500 cargo vans for an electrical contractor purchased between 1996 and currently.We have experienced many problems with this vehicle.They list from failing intake manifold gaskets(silicone around ports on a plastic gasket deteriates),side cargo door hinges seize,due to rust,and break.Plastic front inside door panels break easily at the attachment points,power steering seals fail and cause leaks.I have a 1996 model which had 55,000 miles at the time,which had water enter the onboard computer(which happens to be in the engine compartment).It was filled with water and had corroded all the inner electrical components.The dealership recommened replacing the complete wiring harness along with the computer at a cost of $2300.00.They believed water had entered the computer due to a crack in the windshield. G.M. was in complete denial that the unit couldn't have been bad from the factory,but if you go to www.alldata.com ,it list this very problem in its list of technical bulitans G.M. supplies its technicians along with many other problems common to this vehicle.I understand that no vehicle is flawless,but seems to me that G.M. pays its engeneers based on how close they can design one to last 36,000 miles before problems surface,(that way, the vehicle is out of warrenty). When a problem does arrise, I am often told that we are the only ones experencing this or that problem.With a fleet of these vehicles,I see the same problems surfacing over and over again,year after year, with no design change to fix the problems that exist.I believe that G.M. stands to make money by being the sole manufacturer of commonly failing items on its design flaws.

I manage a fleet of over 30 Chevrolet Express 3500 cargo vans for an electrical contractor purchased between 1996 and currently.We have experienced many problems with this vehicle.They list from failing intake manifold gaskets(silicone around ports on a plastic gasket deteriates),side cargo door hinges seize,due to rust,and break.Plastic front inside door panels break easily at the attachment points,power steering seals fail and cause leaks.I have a 1996 model which had 55,000 miles at the time,which had water enter the onboard computer(which happens to be in the engine compartment).It was filled with water and had corroded all the inner electrical components.The dealership recommened replacing the complete wiring harness along with the computer at a cost of $2300.00.They believed water had entered the computer due to a crack in the windshield. G.M. was in complete denial that the unit couldn't have been bad from the factory,but if you go to www.alldata.com ,it list this very problem in its list of technical bulitans G.M. supplies its technicians along with many other problems common to this vehicle.I understand that no vehicle is flawless,but seems to me that G.M. pays its engeneers based on how close they can design one to last 36,000 miles before problems surface,(that way, the vehicle is out of warrenty). When a problem does arrise, I am often told that we are the only ones experencing this or that problem.With a fleet of these vehicles,I see the same problems surfacing over and over again,year after year, with no design change to fix the problems that exist.I believe that G.M. stands to make money by being the sole manufacturer of commonly failing items on its design flaws.

lots of power,best value for your hard earned dollar, great dealership,

should have waited for 2003 model. it has all wheel drive option

I went to the dealer looking for a suburban and met a wonderful salesman (Randy)who asked if he could show me the value of the conversion van over the suburban. after spending over an hour looking at different vans we settled on a Rocky Ridge conversion it had all the features we needed and some we did'nt at the time but are glad we have now. The Chevy Express rides like a dream it has so much more leg room than my neighbors ford e-250 and rides so much smoother. the entertainment system from Rocky Ridge keeps my 3 kids occupied for hours (worth the price of the van alone)the Salesperson was great,low key-low pressure and very knowlegable.

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ford e-250

Mark III conversion package (most options still operable - flash light and air pump out of order due to age/usage)comfortable seating w/slip proof design. Great for 3 kids and dog, especially on long trips. Rides high, comfortable HVAC with rear fan option. Good acceleration, good handling and good gas mileage as far as high top conversion products go. After transmission failed (partial failure?), van limped to repair shop. Could have been stranded road side like most Fords and Dodges I've seen.

Even with proper maintainance, transmission should not have gone so soon (113K)in my opinion. As with all trucks/full size vans, expensive to repair, hard to work on. Minor electrical problems as mentioned above.

Purchased used and from day 1 (98,000 miles) it has had its quirks. Mostly minor electrical (side door power lock inoperable, radio clock memory problem - thanks to AC Delco for the frustration on this one). Driver side door interior handle pulling off - heavy doors w/undersized grip anchor. Oh yeah, lost the tranmission at 113,000 in the WV mountains. Following installation of re-built, lost an intake manifold gasket and water pump gasket within a week. I'm sure that the transmission failure has had something to do with this (probably overheated and weakened the gaskets or changed the composition of the motor). Will most likely trade in soon before we get nickled and dimed to death like older vehicles can do to its owner.

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1989 GMC Safari(188K)still running great, holding up better than Express Van.

Good looks. Best suspension in big three Van line. Good straight-away tracking on highway. Best Handling in class. Most modern body in class. Good access from all doors. Convenient lighting, storage, quality, appearance. Overall best choice in class. Redesign in 2003 brings top quality engine line-up (except 4.3) and further improved suspension & chassis.

4.3, 5.0, 5.7 Engines are terribly antiquated, regardless of fuel system or intake system design. Engines start out new as higher-than-average polluters. Heavy blocks and very low displacement-to-horsepower ratio result in very poor fuel economy regardless of history of improved performance. Bad transmission shift programming at highway speeds especially when using cruise control result in poor acceleration potential in 4.3 & 5.0. Very noisy engines. Not enough travel in front suspension. Rattles & squeeks appearing quickly in body. Full sized Vans in ALL line up not nearly as advanced as Car & Truck line up on average. Van design neglected due to easy profit from Fleet & conversion use. Overall bad value due to antiquated engineering compared to Cars & SUV's.

Regency Conversion is well & tightly done. Very roomy. Multiple trim levels to choose from. Very GM in feel and sound. Ride & Noise level medium. Handeling sound for full sized Van line. Convenient roof lighting. Plenty of storage space. Airline like seat-back magazine storage. Very adjustable seating. Overall best choice in Full Sized Van line up.

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Chevy Suburban.

-Engine size is great. -Roominess makes road trips bearable--NJ to WA, 2 trips to Disneyland, and multiple trips to see Grandparents. -Except for the bad caliper I have just changed the oil, monitored the brake pads and kept the tires aligned every 10,000 miles. -My wife has put most of the miles on this van and she has been able to get this monster in and out of traffic/ parking lots without a scrape. -Highly recommend the upgraded rims/wheels and factory tow package.

-Mirrors are poorly designed. Had them both replaced immediately after initial purchase due to extreme vibration at highway speeds. Wouldn't recommend driving the vehicle without adding small convex mirrors to aid in blind spots when changing lanes. -The storage bin between the front seats is pretty much useless in design. -The transmission seems to take longer than normal to shift out of first on the initial drive each day. -gas mileage 12mpg city 18mpg highway at best (9mpg with trailer).

Have owned this vehicle for 3 years and put 60,000+ miles on it with a family of 6. We replaced our unreliable dodge minivan after doubling our family with twins. We love the space, the kids love the LCD TV/VCR, and it is a pleasure to drive on the road with the 5.7L engine. We also recently purchased a travel trailer and the van performs reasonably well with 4,000 lbs behind it. Maintenance has been much better than expected. Front brake pads lasted about 40,000 miles. The lifetime alignment I got at Firestone has been worth every penny. One of the calipers seized recently at 62,000 but my 100,000 extended warranty covered the $500 bill. -Shop around for the right conversion company. There are alot of cheap products out there. Our window shades have lasted the wrath of 3 boys under the age of 4.

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1996 Dodge Grand Caravan 1991 Nissan Pathfinder

Rocky Ridge conversion package, 350 engine, plenty of room for the 4 kids.

Base chassis

The vehicle has been a mixed blessing. The Rocky Ridge conversion has been fantastic. The dealer too has been great. Unfortunately the Chevy chassis has been a constant nightmare. In just 3 years, I have had the front brake rotors replaced 4 times and turned twice. GM says this is normal. This is absurd, I have never heard of a vehicle that requires new rotors every 7000 to 10000 miles. The A/C has been replaced once and is failing again. The power steering gearbox failed and had to be replaced. My non GM mechanic says these never fail. The transmission has slipped for over a year. The 60/40 door does not close properly. There are other minor problems but these are the primary complaints. The dealer has been great about fixing the problems, even those technically out of warranty, so I will likely buy from them again. Interestingly, although GM claims every problem is considered normal and they have had few if any other complaints, virtually every system I have had a serious problem with has been completely redesigned for the all new 2003 Express. I am anxiously awaiting their arrival at the show room and plan to buy a 2003 as soon as they are available.