Great engine, fuel economy, ridability, low overall maintenace costs, tows with ease.

Headlight covers, plastic interior parts don't last, power door locks defective, rear wiper motor conked out.

So far so good. No major repairs (tie rod, water pump, brake pads and rotors). The vehicle has 135000 km (85000 mi.)Reading this site, I am quite concerned about intake manifold gasket problems and am hoping for the best. Ther haedlight problem is another story. GM should provide replacement plastic covers, to avoid replacing not the whole unit. I have lost two within one year. Do you think GM will do something to benefit the customer on this one? Forget it, the part costs 30% more now than twelve months ago. They see this as a faulty part and a way to make some aesy money.

Similar Products Used:

1988 Chev Beauville

Lots of room. Was used to full size van, this one has one more passenger seat, easier to navigate and great for highway travel. Tows wonderfully. Body holding up nice. Very comfortable inside and looks great on outside. Cleans up easy. Interior is heavy duty material that stands up to mishaps while on the road. Lots of plug ins for phones, tv's etc. Tinted windows are a plus. Have not had to repair much, doing well so far.

Seems to go through brake pads quckly, especially on the front. Makes little sqeaking sound that I cannot locate that drives me nuts on long trips. Cup holders suck, had to put in my own, ones supplied do not hold large coffee without risk of wearing it.

Awesome van, would love to have a brand new one if I could afford but for now will stick with my 97. Very reliable.

Similar Products Used:

Full size Ford Conversion van.

Great finish inside. Great towing. Room for everyone. Solid ride. large fuel tank. Plenty of 12 volt power jacks front and back for TV, vidio player, cell phones and game chargers.

Legroom. Some minor issues with broken electric door locks and driver seat arm rests. Only reason for not giving it 5 stars is the front passenger leg room. Would like to see it with swing out doors for rear passengers rather than the sliding door.

We are a family of five and this still seems like the very best value for us. Our 200 was stolen and we are now in the market for a new one with leather trim. It is $10,000 cheaper than a similarly equiped SUV.

Similar Products Used:

Full size conversion van. Will never go back to one of those. Too big to drive and third party conversions difficult to get serviced.

Plenty of room, doors open wide esp. the rear which can unhook to swing around completely out of the way (forget that "dutchdoor" gimmick), visibility good, hvac pretty good not too much effect in the back unless you get the optional rear a/c-heater. I like the presence of the vehicle on the road. Mechanically the engine and drivetrain work well. I get the extended warranty as I drive it a lot but have never had to rely on the warranty for major repairs. I've driven close to 500,000mi in the four vehicles I've owned over the past 15yrs.They are made here in Baltimore so maybe they leave the wednesday production run here in town!It's not too big, not too small. Hauls a lot of junk or people. Fit and finish have been good on all 4 vehicles, paint was nice and finish stayed good for several years.Doors matched the frames well, no leaks or rattles. Seats are comfortable esp on long trips. Leg room is adequate.

Simple things have been annoying. Door handles breaking, arm rests breaking,the ventilation ports on the newer models with the curved dashboards are not good. Every vehicle has had stones break the windscreen at least once. Maybe the angle of the glass is too steep. The stones don't glance off, they go through the glass. There is a lot of wind noise on the hiway but it's a big box plowing through a lot of air. The backend is a little light for RWD, recommend at least the locking differential if not the AWD. Fuel economy could be better, I average 21mpg hiway. City driving economy is bad. Had one vehicle that every 5000mi the EGR valve had to be cleaned or replaced. No dealer could every fix it. Tires make a big difference for traction in bad weather and in handling. I put hi mileage hi traction tires on and it is much better than factory issue. Night driving could be improved with better/brighter headlights. Front brakes wear too quickly. None of the vehicles ever needed rear brakes replaced but they all ate up the front pads. Maybe the vehicle relies on the front disks too much for stopping.Removal of rear bench seats is very clumsy.

This is the 4th Safari/Astro I've owned. They have all been good performers each reaching well over 100,000 mi. GM credit card rebates, sales incentives and employe discount makes purchasing very affordable. The truck chassis gives a much better feeling of strength than many other minivans plus it has the power and takeoff to perform reasonably well on the hiway. We have to remember it's a safari not a ferrari. Good for a big family on a trip,(we've done this), good for hauling equipment for work (done this). Extravagant for one person to travel in...too big

Similar Products Used:

have test driven similar fords and chryslers but they are a whole different concept. not what i'm looking for.

Plenty of room, doors open wide esp. the rear which can unhook to swing around completely out of the way (forget that "dutchdoor" gimmick), visibility good, hvac pretty good not too much effect in the back unless you get the optional rear a/c-heater. I like the presence of the vehicle on the road. Mechanically the engine and drivetrain work well. I get the extended warranty as I drive it a lot but have never had to rely on the warranty for major repairs. I've driven close to 500,000mi in the four vehicles I've owned over the past 15yrs.They are made here in Baltimore so maybe they leave the wednesday production run here in town!It's not too big, not too small. Hauls a lot of junk or people. Fit and finish have been good on all 4 vehicles, paint was nice and finish stayed good for several years.Doors matched the frames well, no leaks or rattles. Seats are comfortable esp on long trips. Leg room is adequate.

Simple things have been annoying. Door handles breaking, arm rests breaking,the ventilation ports on the newer models with the curved dashboards are not good. Every vehicle has had stones break the windscreen at least once. Maybe the angle of the glass is too steep. The stones don't glance off, they go through the glass. There is a lot of wind noise on the hiway but it's a big box plowing through a lot of air. The backend is a little light for RWD, recommend at least the locking differential if not the AWD. Fuel economy could be better, I average 21mpg hiway. City driving economy is bad. Had one vehicle that every 5000mi the EGR valve had to be cleaned or replaced. No dealer could every fix it. Tires make a big difference for traction in bad weather and in handling. I put hi mileage hi traction tires on and it is much better than factory issue. Night driving could be improved with better/brighter headlights. Front brakes wear too quickly. None of the vehicles ever needed rear brakes replaced but they all ate up the front pads. Maybe the vehicle relies on the front disks too much for stopping.Removal of rear bench seats is very clumsy.

This is the 4th Safari/Astro I've owned. They have all been good performers each reaching well over 100,000 mi. GM credit card rebates, sales incentives and employe discount makes purchasing very affordable. The truck chassis gives a much better feeling of strength than many other minivans plus it has the power and takeoff to perform reasonably well on the hiway. We have to remember it's a safari not a ferrari. Good for a big family on a trip,(we've done this), good for hauling equipment for work (done this). Extravagant for one person to travel in...too big

Similar Products Used:

have test driven similar fords and chryslers but they are a whole different concept. not what i'm looking for.

A LOT OF ROOM. and is able to take punishment (but ya will pay for it in the mechanical end eventualy) smaller than a fullsize van, yet still has a full truck frame under it (the only one in its class) Eazy to get in and out of. Good visability. great fer hauling work supplies and then sleeping in while camping on the weekend. Heater works great. 4.3 litre is good and the 700R4 tranny too. Although BOTH were replaced at 78,000 and had issues.

rear end is light. useless in snow. front end is ALLWAYS "never quite right". Door locks jam. AC compressor is junk. if serp belt comes off, it steers like a TANK. Windshield Wiper motor chipboard is junk. as is the TBI. It really needs to be redesigned.

P.O.S. I dont know WHAT GM designers were doing, but it definately wasnt legal to smoke. Idler arms are junk. Power acessory bracket is junk, Powersteering pulley is casted pot-metal junk. Ignition keylock and collumn is junk. IMPOSSIBLE to fix rust in rear quarter weld line at body and frame. a pain to change oil on. just dont get one lest ya are rich and can go without a vehicle every 4 months at random intervals of MAJOR inconvieniance. In retrospect: I should have left it as a "storage container"

Similar Products Used:

A lot of SUVs and minivans. Im a glutton for punishment. Id buy another ASTRO if it was made reliable.

Lots of towning power, lots of room, versatile for camping, fishing, whatever.

Love these vans, it's my second. First one was a stripped down SL version.

Have pulled a medium sized utility trailer, a 18 foot boat and have been satisfied with the power, considering the fact it's a v-6.

Wind noise, passenger leg room, hard on brakes.

Overall- not too bad, have had to replace the rear power door locks( under warranty) and have a crack in the driver side arm rest(not covered under 36 mo. warranty. Hear wind noise from doors but haven't checked on replacing dorr jam saels yet. Have 65,000 miles on it and except for having the transmission kick into a lower gear when excellerating.. everything's cool. Paint is still immaculate and interior is still holding up well.

Similar Products Used:

1990 Chevy Astro van (Extended) Not as noisy- over 175,000 miles, never went to dealer.

The van sits on the road very well and with two kayaks on top and camping stuff in the vehicle it does what I want it for.

Here are some of the repairs done in the last few years.Two sets of headgaskets ,four powersteering pump brackets most recently the fuelpressure regulator went and the small die cast connector that sits between the coolant pipe and the engine at the rear of the engine under the dog house.Overall I wouldn't recommend this vehicle to any body may be Saddam Hussein because he would probably shoot it.And if you contact GM for satisfaction be ready for a Oskar performance .They want you to go away and don't call again.My next vehicle will definitly be an offshore product.

This was my second Gm product and my last one.By looking back my biggest mistake was getting the van serviced at dealer ships.The reason I still drive this vehicle keeping it repaired is cheaper than a new one.

Similar Products Used:

Chrysler Tradesman

Size, power, capacity to transport people comfortably with luggage and sporting equipment stored safely.

Mechanical and electrical failures. Front end noises and alignment problems. Odd sized tires only manufactured by Good Year that are inadequate for the load.

We bought our Safari new in 1998 for its size, stying and ability to accommodate our needs after owning a 1991. We have taken it on a few road trips; however it has had several problems as follows: 1. Rear heater repaired three times; it still does not work in the high setting; sometimes works in the lower. 2. Leak in the Dutch doors repaired twice; water still gets in and collects in the storage bin to the right of the rear seat. 3. Banging noise in the front passenger door "fixed" twice to no avail. 4. Rear axle replaced – apparently twice while at the dealership for ten days; the rear end does not make the sounds that were symptomatic of requiring a replacement, but has developed other noises. 5. Passenger window developed motor problems and was replaced. 6. The air conditioning ceased and required service. 7. At approximately 24,000 miles the Safari needed new tires. Though the van had been registered by the dealership as a light truck, it was delivered with Goodyear Eagle GA passenger tires, which are rated by Goodyear for touring sedans (refer to Goodyear literature and the Goodyear website for evidence of this) and not the weight and size of the Safari or any light truck. Initially, the dealership and Goodyear took no responsibility for the inappropriate selection of the tires. Eventually Goodyear made good on the tires with a pro-rated deal on a set of new Goodyear Wranglers (designed for light trucks). During the process of replacing the tires, more than one Goodyear representative stated off the record that the Safari should not be equipped with the Eagle GA tires. New GMC Safaris, now bearing the words “GMC Truck” on the rear, are equipped with the same Goodyear Eagle GA passenger tires. This seems an issue of semantics, until it's time to replace the tires. We are on our third set and cannot find a replacement that adequately fits the Safari because of the heavy duty FE2 suspension.