Comfortable, quiet.

Unreliable manufacturer.

The headlight covers are prone to popping off. This is a costly problem for owners but the manufacturer refuses to acknowledge the problem. Several repair shops and wrecking yards acknowledge this is a common problem with the Chevy Venture.

Should you buy a Venture? Definitely not! Imagine what the manufacturer's response would be to a failing engine if it isn't willing to admit to a less costly light assembly! These vehicles often have to travel at speeds up to 100 k.p.h. Are you willing to trust your family to this company?

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Top marks to on-dash ignition key location!! Great GM automatic transmission. Downright good Chevrolet value (compared to pricier imports) loaded with equipment and useful features, adequate yet responsive suspension, solid body frame, very roomy inside, good comfortable rear seats, low maintenance cost on this 3+ years old car.

Gas mileage worse than expected on the 3.1L SFI V6. Premature wearing of electrical components (fan speed resistors replaced twice, rear brake light bulbs and receptacles replaced 4 times - cheap bulbs and bad receptacle design). Intake manifold gaskets replaced in the 2nd year - typical GM weakness. I have similar experience with ALL my GM cars. The OEM Firestone tires were good for two winters before we had to replace them.

Although the base model Accord, Camry and 626 are comparable in price, we chose the Malibu in late 1997 - plainly for the biggest bang for the buck! Just put gas, change oil and drive, that's how reliable the Malibu is as a family car used for day-to-day city driving. The Malibu feels solid and heavy and its 3.1V6 is not sporty but just abequate for the job. Perhaps that's why gas mileage is not its forte. Replaced the OEM Firestone tires with Michelins at 33,000 km. Replaced front brakes pads replaced at 38,000km and rotor turned. Other than those two big items, we felt that the Malibu delivered true Chevrolet value.

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Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and Mazada 626, Volkswagen Jetta . . . With all the features such as V6 engine, ABS and power/comfort equipment as standard package, I have no complaints, and the ChevOlds dealer fixed all problems I brought to their attention.

There's lots of space. The moveable seats are great. The VCR and headphones keep the kids busy for hours. The traction control feature works very well in the snow here in Pa.

With 3 seats in the middle, it is difficult for passengers to get to the 2 seats in the back row.

For my family, it is reliable and comfy. It makes our road trips entertaining for the kids and their friends. It even tells us what direction we are heading!

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This is our first minivan ever.

Comfortable seating:2-3-2 configuration; 5 individual seats in 2nd & 3rd row; each can be removed separately.
More than adequate power
Very comfortable on long trips
Everything works well; nothing has fallen off

No major problems encountered. Like all minivans, it's a box on wheels, so what do you want?

I have been driving the Venture for about 2 and 1/2 years and have experienced no problems. At the time of purchase, Consumers Reports rated the venture at the bottom of the list, for reliability and safety. I haven't had any reliability problems to date, and have had no crashes, thank God! My Venture came standard with ABS and side airbags. The airbag warning light has remained on for 2 occassions; this was due to some kind of "short" and was quickly repaired by the dealer. Maybe these glitches are a GM quirk...similar problem on the Dustbuster. The dealer's service department at North York Chev Olds has been great!
I had to redo the front brakes after 35,000 kilometres; dealer said it is typical for this vehicle; lots of weight on the front end. This was the only service I've had to perform, other than regular oil changes. I have another 7 months to go to the end of my 3 year lease. Because my lifestyle is changing, I think I'll replace this minivan with a 4 cyl sedan or small wagon. 90% of the time I'm the only person in the vehicle; so all this wonderful space and utility are somewhat wasted.

This vehicle has a lot of useful features that work well; ie. headlights come on at dusk, doors lock and unlock automatically, remote keyless entry and some other electronic stuff can be programmed by owner, full time outside temperature and compass display, audio has CD AND cassette, lots of cubby holes and cup holders galore.

In many ways I'll miss my Venture when I turn it in at lease end. I would not hesitate to recommend the Venture to anyone seeking a minivan.

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I previously owned a 93 Chevy Lumina minivan (the "Dustbuster" model and predecesor to the Venture). Its 2 greatest features were its plastic body panels (ding resistant; can't rust) and the very flexible 2-3-2 seating configuration. I traded into the Venture because it had the same seats, but I miss the plastic body panels. The Venture feels more refined than the Lumina it replaced.

Vehicle has tremendous acceleration for a 3.4 litre engine. Shoulder checking is a breeze. Tinted windows remove the all too common "greenhouse" appearance of most vans. Great gas mileage 25/34. Excellent head room for taller people.

Location of cup holders. Winshield wipers seem to "glide" over the window leaving washer fluid on the window, will replace wipers. Otherwise, this vehicle is great and I would recommend purchase to anyone looking for a great first time van purchase

I would caution anyone buying a minivan to test drive the vehicle extensively prior to purchase. My wife and I test drove a '99 Toyota which we were set on buying. After only 40-50km we realized that we were both experiencing motion sickness to a degree whereby a stop was required. There was only a light wind at the time, lets hear it for the camry under powertrain. Later while test driving a Transport (A bit more than the dealer would have liked) we found the steering extremely stiff (accident ?) The Nissan Quest was great except for the headroom. I drove looking out the tinted portion of the window and found the interior space small. As for Crysler and Ford, we were not looking to waste time during our search process.

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Rented a Grande Caravan a few months back and found the ride similar.

Very comfortable.
Holds our family of six with room to spare!

Engine problems.
Sliding door problems.
Computer problems.

Our Venture has been out of service more than 55 days in the 21 months we have had it. The problems began with leaking sliding doors, which after 3 attempts to repair have possibly been fixed. The right sliding door moves as we drive down the road. The dealership claims this is within GM specifications. In November, 2000 the pistons became a problem. We allowed the dealership to replace these and got the van back a week later. I drove less than 2 miles down the road and the engine slung two rods. Two and a half weeks later, we got the van back AGAIN, and it went dead while on the interstate. We again took it to the dealeship and found they had left wires laying on the pulleys which had shorted out parts of the computer. We now have problems with the gas gauge and transmission. The gauges read we have gas and we don't. The transmission began jumping in April 2001. Our Customer Service representative told me that it was because I had been, "Towing things and the computer was trying to adjust to my driving style." My van doesn't even have a hitch and when I pointed this out to him he said then I must have been hot-rodding down the road. In my opinion, not only is this vehicle not built well to begin with but GM is sending out unqualified personnel to service them. In our dealings with our GM Regional Representative we were told that she was sorry for our ongoing problems but there was nothing the company could do. I would not recommend this van or any GM product to anyone.

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Montana Transport. As a rental vehicle it did not appear to have the problems we have with our vehicle.

strong engine. Gas millage reasonable for it size roughly 400 miles to a tank full of gas.Average but clear gauges annd ample storage

weak suspension struts have worn out in under 60,000 miles Front windsield wipers won't park closed although I have been notified that there is a RECALL for this problem. The Fuel pump hums terribly and the front end bushing wore out and needed to be replaced. struts very weak. vehicle currently rocks when baking up and bottoms out when going into high driveways.GM dealer service departments are expensive and worthless as they are not knowledgable about repairs did not instill any confidence.

We purchased a `97' Venture LS extended van with 56,000 miles. We Like the over all aperance, seating capacity, engine size, AC the sound system and the usuall power features that come wiith a family driven concept.

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I like the vehicle.

Engine: had new pistons etc at 30.000 km and I think it is doing it again at 34.000 km
Gas tank noise: they have installed the baffle yet I still have a clunk between full and half a tank
Rear window: driving along the other night and the the thing just popped and shattered. Going to fight the dealer on this one

I like the van. I have become disillusioned with the problems that I have had so far. Thinking of trading it off.

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First minivan, so don't know

Quiet, fold down seat option is great. feels like a solid vehicle unlike the Caravans. I like the vehicle

Rear heat could be better. Doesn't have individual rear window controls.

I have read others' reviews. I consider myself lucky to have a vehicle with no problems. However, I also think some people expect too much from a vehicle. If its luxury and problem free they want, then I suggest they spend the big bucks and buy an import.

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GMC Safari. This one is big and clunky.

Modular flip seats (8) love them, second row flip seating to easy access to third row which also allows the most leg room for third row of the minivans.Electric door great. All seats recline far back for traveling. Second and third row move back and forward to adjust leg room. Love the extra length behind third row. Like the separate controls for A/C and heat/radio/CD and headphone plugins in second row. Great for teenagers.

Non Electric door rattles. Engine rattles when starting, dealer said it's normal but I always feel like the van is going to fall apart when I start it. Under chassie noise when I go over bumps. Had Strut casing fixed but still clatters over bumps. Brakes a noise problem since the gekco. High pitch tone when braking. Fixed after brake pads replaced. Now we have a clank at 30,000 miles. GM said they are aware of the problem but can't fix it now, which sucks. Needed new tires prior to 30,000 miles.

I love the room. It's the only 8 seater minivan out there, love the eight modular seating. Best third row access in the minivans with the second row flipping all the way up. Don't know if it's our van or not but noisy when going over bumps as stated above. Metal hitting each other underneath. Been in to get fixed but never seems to get fixed. If you deal with the price I think it's a good value for the money. Don't pay sticker. Resale bluebook value poor.

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Never owned a minivan before. Had a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutles Ciere and loved it.