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 11-20 of 182  
[Aug 06, 2006]
Chuck
Model Reviewed: Astro CS

Strength:

Engine, Room, Reliability, almost everything. As long as you do basic preventitve millage(Fluids, regular oil changes, ETC...)

Weakness:

Gasmillage is a tad low, but its a large V6, what do i expect? Slider needs constant greesing. Engine Repairs cost heaps because of location of engine under the dashboard.

My parents Bought this van for 11K at about 50 thousand miles of the odometer. I got it when I turned 18, wasnt happy at first, but than grew to love the van. Don't call it a mini-van, it's a mid-size van. Never had ANY problems with the truck except for the dutch doors, when closing, make sure to not let anything get jammed, or it will break the doors. Also, the slider's power lock broke, but it wasnt a big deal. the cloth Seats were comfortable, and im 6 4. Enough room to do whatEVER you need in it *wink Wink, say no more* Died 9 miles short of 200K. Water pump failed a couple thousand miles before and cause the gasket on the intake manifold to rupture. Great Van, loved it, and will buy another.

Similar Products Used:

92 Chevy Astro, 96 Chavey Blazer, 99 Ford E-350 17" box truck, 05 Ford E-350 cargo van

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jul 06, 2006]
spdnmotion
Model Reviewed: Chevy Astro Cargo Van

Strength:

It's built like a tank -- hasn't required much more than maintenance although I did replace the outside door handles on the driver's and passenger doors, along with the cargo door handle (they're a little expensive to replace).

Weakness:

The A/C never worked very well until I used this ArticFreeze kit to recharge it myself. It's supposed to be more environmentally friendly but all I know is that it worked.It solved a problem I've had for over five years & I thought I was going to have to take it to an A/C specialist.

My Astro has 120,000+ miles and it's mainly a second/third vehicle used to get building supplies from Lowe's and bulk products from Sam's Club, or to take stuff to the recycling center a couple of times a month.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jul 01, 2006]
prymuz
Model Reviewed: Astro Conversion

Strength:

Mileage, Flexibility, Sound system, and Family friendly.

Weakness:

After a while after hundreds of constant highway driving, the transmission developed a very hard shift from first to second. I looked into getting it fixed. It is about one thousand dollars for a rebuild. The TCC valve is the issue, both the valve and assembly are aluminum so eventually they both wear oblong, but the fix cost me about two hundred twenty-five dollars.

My van is a Mark III conversion with the high top. We purchased it to replace my Buick Century for traveling. It is roomy and has a smooth ride. I did find that the Mark III conversion changes the computer a little and increases power slightly. Leg room for the front seats is lacking but I’m dealing with it. I currently am getting 25 MPG highway and 19 MPG city. With AC on I average about 20 MPG with mostly highway driving.

Similar Products Used:

1995, 2002 Chevy conversion van

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 18, 2006]
Alvin
Model Reviewed: Astro cardo AWD

Strength:

Engine is great. AWD fantastic

Weakness:

Leg room is limited and seats not comfortable in cargo van.

Can't kill it. Co. has 3 of them. Mine has 190 G and does not use any oil despite going 20 G on a 3 G oil. Mileage is fair @ 18 and always @ 70 MPH. 4.3 L V6 is bullet proof. Got 97 G on original Bridgewtone tires. I drive in Green Mountains of VT in all weather. Snow has never stopped me, and the AWD is amazing. Van is really abused and keeps on truckin.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 18, 2006]
Denise
Model Reviewed: Astro Mini Van

Strength:

None

Weakness:

Everything

I bought this van when it had 50,000 miles on it. I have had to replace the transmission at about 90,000. I had a dodge caravan that had 175,000 on it and never had a bit of transmission problems. The Astro van has been a pain and very expensive. The release for the back door has broken numerous times, I need to be able to get in the back of my van. I have replaced just about every mechanical thing on it. It now has 125,000 on it and feel that some of the problems should never be experienced. Such as a fuel pump. I have never had to replace a fuel pump on any vehicle I have owned. I also have problems with air conditioner or blowers all the time. Next time I will purchase another dodge caravan. Chevy can keep their Astro van.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jun 01, 2006]
Craig621
Model Reviewed: Chevrolet Astro

Strength:

Engine power - I pulled a 1971 18 1/2' tri hull boat with this van for the first three years and it did great up hills and all over. Cargo space is also a plus.

Weakness:

The smaller hardware in the van breaks a lot.

We bought this van new. It was nice to have more leg room than some of the other vans offered at the time. As stated before, it is a little tight for taller persons, I'm 6'3" and could have used a little more leg room in the driver seat, but it was passable. About a year into ownership, the little things started to break, A/C-heat control knobs, rear dutch door release and supports broke. We have replaced the supports four times in the 10 years we have owned it. I gave up and left them broke the last time. At around four years, we had to have the radiator flushed numerous times due to overheating problems. The red fluid corodes the radiator if not kept completely full. The driver door window motor broke after four years. The electronic side slider door locks broke twice after six years. Although it probably happened due to kids slamming the door rearward, the roller assembly on the slider door broke after five years. Just after my warranty expired, the PC valve went out. The catalytic converter went out at 76,000 miles, luckily after some argument with the dealership they paid for that. We had to replace the transmission at 98,000 miles. Now the A/C compressor died so we have to replace it. We still have the van and are waiting for the next catastrophic repair. It has been a decent van, but I think there are better vans out there these days with better value.

Similar Products Used:

'01 Chevrolet pickup, '03 Chevroelt Venture

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Apr 21, 2006]
A.K.
Model Reviewed: chevrolet/astro van

Strength:

lots of room in the back

Weakness:

breaking down often. way too much wasted money and time for all kinds of repairs.

i found some free time to write this review as my transmission is getting fixed for the second time. never towed anything and live in flatlands of south florida.
this van is good till about 75,000 after that get rid of it or prepare for constant repairs. the "usual": alternator, water pump, transmission(that's $1200), EGR valve, that when fails turns the motor off along with power steering and power brakes(almost crash into the toll booth when it happened on the Turnpike), door locks, window mechanism, wiper motor, idle speed unit, Air Conditioning, what i can remember.
since money is tight right now, GM got me by the balls with this van, so i'll keep fixing it.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Apr 15, 2006]
Connie
Model Reviewed: Chevy Astro

Strength:

Roomy, good towing, loved the all-wheel drive.

Weakness:

leg room mostly

I abslutely loved this van I highly reccommend it. We had to replace an alternator and a transmission at around 100,000 miles, but we bout it used and who knows how they took care of it. We had around 150,000 miles on it when we sold it for a buike LeSabre. Biggest mistake of my life. I would buy another Astro in a heart beat. The only thing I didn't like was the leg room up front, and the mileage. However, I knew what mileage it got before I bought it. I do think it could use a drives side sliding door, that would be great. I have talked to people and companies that have managed to get 300,000 miles out of these vehicles. I also owned a 1988 asto and it had almost 200,000 miles on it when I sold it, with no major problems. The trick is to get a good one that has been well taken care of and keep up the maintenance.

Similar Products Used:

1988 astro, venture

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 05, 2006]
donnalp
Model Reviewed: Astro LS

Strength:

SPACE...and more space! Gas mileage was better than of equal size or even bigger. Back leg room was nice, especially with teh middle bench removed. LOVE the extended visor too. (Seems trivial, but trust me, it's not.)

Weakness:

Petty things; LOUSY cupholders in the front. With tall drink it would be swung out of it when you go from a stop. The CD placement was poorly designed in that it was directly in front of cupholder was. So you'd have to remove cup/drink to put in or take out CD.

I loved my Astro van. Took getting used to a bit at first, as it's a tad bigger than a typical minivan. As one writer stated, it's more like a truck rather than a mini-van, as it's not mini. There is no other vehicle on the market (no including commercial cargo vans and other trucks) with the space this one has. The dutch doors took some getting used, but I found them to be far more desirable than the regular side by side doors. My van had all the options available except rear heat and the touring package. I had to replace the transmission at about 143k miles. Radiator was replaced then due to what I believe the dealership's fault..as the van never over heated and was not in any frontal accident to have just cracked. I believe it was done by the dealership while they attempted to fix/flush my transmission. Gas mileage is better than a commercial van or most SUV's on the market. Regular oil changes would have kept this van going for another 150k I'm sure...but it was totaled two weeks ago thanks to slipping on an unplowed highway.

Similar Products Used:

None, this was my first van. I drove station wagons before this van. Now I'm looking to buy again...and Astro is no longer being made I understand. :-(

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 14, 2006]
tazshido
Model Reviewed: Astro LT

Strength:

Great power for a mini van. Huge amounts of space. The ONLY one you can get in America with rear wheel drive. Comes i AWD. Based on a long time proven platform. Visibility is great. Maintenance is easier than a FWD Minivan. Great rear door system.

Weakness:

Body roll in the corners (feels worse than it really is though). Seats are a bit too squishy and too high for a tall person. Repairs can be pricey, especially at the dealerships. The mileage is poor for a minivan but better than a full size van.

A wonderful van, built with many of the same parts used in the S-10 / S-15 Chevy and GMC trucks and SUVs. Gobs of room and well built. The paint has held up perfectly but we have parked it in a garage (when home)for the past two years. It was my wifes car until we traded in my 97 Ford F150 for her 99 Buick Lesabre. We have used this van to pull a 3500Lb Trailer and it does pretty good. A little slow up the hills but it gets the job done. Ours is the AWD and it handles the snow awesomely. The ride (unloaded) is Cadillac smooth and if you want to give your rear seat passengers that "limo feeling" just take the middle seat out and they have four feet of leg room. I am 6'5" tall and the seat sits too high for me. I have to scrunch down to see the stop lights if I am first at the intersection. I will be taking the seat mount to a weldingbody shop soon to have it lowered a couple of inches. The funky lift-gate with the lower dutch doors were a little wierd at first, but I have learned to appreciate them after a couple years of using them in tight spaces. I don't really like calling it a mini van because there is very little that is mini about it. It's more of a mid-sized van.

Similar Products Used:

91 Suburban, 68 Chrysler Town and Country wagon, 91 Pontiac Transport, 2005 15 Passenger Maxi van (talk about your crappy mileage)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 11-20 of 182  

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