If this van could talk, it’d say “hoon me!”
After seeing the “Best Astro Ever” that Paul posted a few days back, I couldn’t help but think of the Astros of my past.
Back in the fall of 2000, my father stumbled upon an excellent deal on an ’89 Astro. It was equipped much like the one shown–2WD, wagon wheels, three rows of seats, dark tinted glass, barn doors with a side slider–only ours was powder blue. It was clean, straight, and available for a mere $900.
We were never ‘minivan people,’ but suddenly, we had a minivan. It joined a 1985 Regal coupe and a 1989 Chevy G20 van in the family fleet.
As minivans go, it was pretty sporty and peppy, with just over 100K miles and a 4.3 V6 under the hood (er, doghouse). But anti-minivan sentiment was running high in those days, and Dad wasn’t content to drive a minivan that was merely “pretty sporty.” So out came the Keystone Klassics. Soon the van was the latest member of the Keystone club, one of six or so vehicles that’d get to wear those mags over the years.
The van provided us with several years’ worth of faithful service, hauling us to and fro without incident–save for one outing.
My mother was never a very good driver. She had a tendency to panic when the going got tough, and her panic reactions were often less than ideal.
On this particular January day, she was accelerating down an on-ramp, preparing to merge onto the freeway. The only other vehicle around was an eighteen wheeler, about a quarter mile back and traveling in the left lane. As she reached the bottom of the ramp, she hit a patch of black ice and began to lose control.
Had she reacted properly, the van might have been put back on course. But instead, she went straight down the list of her panic reactions, and jumped right to the worst of them: closing her eyes and releasing the wheel. Not surprisingly, the situation went from bad to worse in a hurry. By the time she opened her eyes, the van was on its roof.
The big rig’s driver had watched the whole thing unfold, and immediately stopped to provide aid. The Astro’s engine was still running even in its inverted state; he was able to easily open the door and shut it off. My mother then released her safety belt and crawled out, shaken but unharmed. I was amazed at her good fortune.
What was even more amazing was that while she was seven months pregnant at the time, the baby was likewise unharmed. My sister was born two months later, as perfect and wonderful as a baby could be.
Several days later, well after all involved had been given clean bills of health, the van arrived home on a rollback. After a few hours of dent-pulling and a rear end replacement, my father had it back in a roadworthy state once again.
I recall picking up the new axle, me and Dad having just pulled it at the junkyard and loaded it into the back of the G20. As we were leaving the yard, I made a remark along the lines of “we better not roll this one, ’cause I don’t want to eat that axle!”
After all the repairs were done, there was just one issue which had Dad stumped: the digital speedometer was reading ridiculously high. I was the first to notice the letters “kph” illuminated; one button press and this wrecked Astro was finally all the way back to its former glory.
Unfortunately, the van would meet an inglorious end a few years later. After my parents divorced, my mother traded it in for well below its value, using the meager credit towards her purchase of a late-’80s Century beater. After all that it went through, I hate to think where it ended up.
Back to the van at hand! I bought it from a small dealer, who had accidentally bought it at an auction and wanted it gone regardless of loss. I scooped it up for a few hundred bucks, and trailered it away (since it was sitting on four flats and had a dead battery).
Upon getting the wreck home and running, I had to figure out what to do about the rubber situation. There was absolutely nothing left of the existing tires. The rims were factory aluminum 5-spokes, and were likewise pretty chewed up. Ugly and useless – time for a change! So I went to my tire rack.
Waiting there was a set of four American Racing wheels with nice, aggressive tires already mounted. They had come on an eighties Chevy conversion van that I’d bought to part out and scrap. Needless to say, I was surprised to find them hiding behind a set of cheap plastic Wal-Mart wheelcovers!
At first I thought they were painted matte black. But copious amounts of scrubbing with water and steel wool revealed that they were actually chrome, each one coated with more brake dust than I previously believed any one wheel could hold.
The back ones fit fine, but the front ones needed a little added clearance. So I carved down the plastic fascia to create the needed elbow room. Ugly? Sure, but who cares – it was cheap, and it was ready to play in the snow!
For winter driving, this little AWD rig with big knobby tires was superb. I couldn’t justify keeping it, having two other four-wheelers in my arsenal already, so I turned it around for a quick buck. But I wouldn’t hesitate to own another.
If these vans were not such death traps I would consider buying one instead of another 94-95 Plymouth Voyager. The Astro/Safari twins are all over South Central Los Angeles and Cayuga Taxi used to have a large fleet of these which makes me wonder if any other cab company bought a lot of these.
Back in 2004 my folks and I were one of the first on the scene for a rollover involving an Astro with some unbelted passengers and a pop up camper trailer that got out of control. No one suffered anything more than a broken arm, but it definitely put a wet blanket on our trip back to New York. That is another (illogical?) reason I rather have nothing to do with these vans.
My grandpa totalled a nearly new Saab 900 Classic on some black ice and for the past twenty or so years he has refused to drive on that section of NY 79.
These are still fairly common as airport taxis in Puerto Rico.
I was there this past March, and still saw quite a few, with newer Siennas and Mopar vans being the other majority.
Panthers are still common too.
These vans weren’t death traps, more like they had a propensity to turn turtle, as a lot of truck based vehicles. In fact the Highway safety Institute as reported by Wiki says:
“Despite these safety ratings, in 2007 the IIHS reported that in real life situations, the 2001-2004 Chevrolet Astro recorded during calendar years 2002-2005 the least number of killed drivers of all passenger vehicles in the United States, as calculated per every million units on the road. Driver’s habits and vehicle usage might have influenced this result.”
Maybe a person shouldn’t drive them into a concrete barrier at 45mph but in the real world looks like they are pretty safe. Black ice is something that no car is good on and rear wheel drive is probably worse then front.
Tell us how these vans are “death traps” please.
Poor crash test result. When one of these gets into a collision with another similarly sized vehicle it always fairs worse from what I have seen.
I prefer the first gen Astro and Safari over the second gen Astro and Safari. I prefer either, over their front wheel drive replacement.
Seems like they hold up in rollovers really well.
Unfortunately, the reason they roll over in the first place is the driver’s inability (or unwillingness) to drive according to their limitations. They’re reckless.
Agreed. The whole Firestone/Explorer thing wasn’t Ford’s fault (okay, it was a little bit), it wasn’t Firestone’s fault (it was a little bit there too), it was the drivers’ collective fault for thinking that their new SUV–essentially a slightly longer, slightly lower Bronco II–could be treated the same as a low-slung sedan.
I agree. I’ve driven many SUVs over the years, and I’ve only crashed one.
I’m firmly convinced that the higher center of gravity on these vehicles — and drivers’ unfamiliarity with the different handling dynamics — are largely the reason why all new vehicles come standard with tire pressure monitoring systems and stability control.
Which is no big deal to me, until someone borrows my 21-year-old pickup, at which point I then feel obligated to remind them of the absence of these techno-nannies, and that keeping the truck firmly planted on the road is solely their responsibility.
Which usually gets me the response, “So is it safe to drive?” (facepalm)
…are largely the reason why all new vehicles come standard with tire pressure monitoring systems and stability control.
Their propensity to roll when upset has not only lead to TPMS and stability control, those systems are now required by Federal regulations. SUV’s high beltline, compounded by “wedge” styling has resulted in rear visibility so poor that rear view TV cameras will become mandatory in a couple years.
So what has been the industry’s response to all these safety systems? They make SUVs that are even blinder in the back and more unstable, witness the Chevy Trax, tall, narrow and short. The thing will probably tumble like a circus performer, even with all the technology bandaids.
Steve…former SUV driver.
Both my old Ranger and my current Pathfinder have giant warnings, with graphics, on the sun visor, telling drivers that they are more likely to tip over and to avoid sudden high-speed maneuvers.
Agree 100%. A lot of Jeep CJs went rubber side up because someone swapped a Mustang or Camaro for one and didn’t bother to adjust their driving style.
Very capable snow and ice rigs. A high school friend had one in his family. I believe it led to the family buying more AWD vehicles.
I just went thru a used car buying marathon and some of the experience gained regarding the 4L60e means this van is not on my list. 10 years older with a 700r4 and a 4.3 would make it lots better IMO.
I am sure that it bothers Keith not in the slightest and confess to some envy. Everyone is probably good at something. My field was AC and Heat. With cars I tend to be somewhat stupid and trusting. My current truck is a manual and there is a reason for that.
We’ve a 1998 Safari (RWD) in the family DD fleet since 2001 and it has been pretty reliable. There has been one major issue with the a/c and it is now on its third a/c compressor. Recently it has developed an oil leak on the driver’s side. The oil leaks directly on the exhaust pipe so I get a little bit of smoke. Tomorrow I need to check and see what is causing the problem. I am thinking the oil pressure sender or the oil filter.
Some years ago we would make a 150 mile trip to see my younger daughter who was in college at the time. The road there is a state road with lots of curves and rolling hills. During these drives in the Safari you could definitely tell that it was not comfortable in those road conditions – too much lean. One time we took my 1984 BMW and what a difference that was.
Keith I’ve always been curious as to the reliability of these GM AWD systems used on the Astro/ Safari, the Olds Bravada, and maybe others I am not aware of. Love to hear your comments.
The quality of the interior components of these things (Chev and GM) was bar none, the worst I’ve ever seen in a mini van.
My brother has a 97 astro with 210,000 miles on it. Original transmission. It has been totaled by the insurance company twice. It is rough but refuses to die. These are unique vehicles because they offer a tremendous amount of utility and can haul and tow an amazing amount while still being of manageable size. He is always keeping his eyes out for a newer one but resale value is surprisingly high. GM blew it letting this vehicle wither on the vine because there still is a market for vans like this.
The 2WD Astro and Safari vans used the front suspension directly from our beloved B-Bodies. Literally EVERYTHING was taken from the B-Body, control arms, springs, shocks, sway bar, the steering box and linkages, and front disc brakes. All of it mounted to B-Body subframe of sorts. The vans used the larger 5″ x 5 lug pattern found on the 9C1s and wagons.
GM saw fit to spec these vans with the larger 5/8″ lower ball joint shared with the Limo / Hearse/ Armored upfit package D-Body Cadillac. In mid-1995 GM made a production change to the 9C1, and only the 9C1, to upgrade from the normal B-Body lower ball joint of 9/16″ to the beefier 5/8″ lower ball joint.
Thanks to the vans keeping the 5″ x 5 lug pattern till 2002, this makes the spindle (steering knuckle in GM-speak) a fairly inexpensive part to purchase new or plentiful to source from the junkyards. A nice little upgrade if you’re rebuilding the front end of your ’77-’96 B-Body or related C or D-Body.
After 2002, the all the Astro and Safari vans switched to the 6 lug patter in common with full-sized pickups. The 2WD front suspension stayed the same, but the spindle is totally different unit.
great analysis!
I forgot they offered AWD in these, and I sold them, but we never got an AWD one on the lot down in FL. The AWD in these was the same one that came in the turbocharded S-tuck/SUV. If I ran GMC I would have combined the Syclone/Typhoon turbo 4.3 in an AWD Safari, and then I would have probably been asked to leave.
In FL, awd is unnecessary. But up here in the salt-free pacific NW its the opposite. Youd swear the 2wd version didn’t exist at all. You see these all the time with snowboard racks mounted up, as they’ll mow thru a snowy mountain pass like its not even there.
Oh for sure, I imagine that these with AWD are like an SUV-Minivan.
My mom had one of these back in the early 90s…unfortunately, ours did NOT have Keystone mags! . It was an extended 2wd model. I drove it a few times, actually once down to New Orleans with like 6 of my buddys. It was a very reliable rig, got decent mpgs and while 160 hp sounds laughable now, its amazing how well that 4.3 v6 manhandled such a big box. We also had a fullsize GMC conversion van back in the mid 80s. These were literally 3/4 scale fullsize vans in every way…which I thought was a good thing. Unlike fwd minivans, these were often seen towing bass boats or campers. For a family with some outdoorsy inclinations, these really were a better way than SUVs or CUVs…especially in awd form. Back in the day, the downsize SUVs were often struggling to pull mommy duty. And yet, a good many 2 door XJ Cherokees, 1st gen 4 runners, and 2 door S-10 Blazer/Jimmys were in good hands with guys in my generation who lowered the 2wd versions or went wheeling with the 4x4s. These Astros could do all the grunt work of an SUV but also pull off family duty equally well.
Since I last posted on these I remembered all the things that have gone wrong in the past 12 years. None of it had to do with the drivetrain or the suspension. Those have been rock solid. Except for a cracked plastic intake plenum.
We bought the van from the original owner and it was still under warranty. As soon as the warranty ran out the a/c compressor started leaking and had to be replaced. Then the paint started peeling off the roof and the hood. It looked like a tree shedding off its bark. The leather front seats started to come apart not long after that. Then we found that if you used the cigar lighter it would blow a fuse which immobilized the van. Since then the dash cap over the instrument binnacle has come unglued from the structure below; Half of the lighted buttons on the radio, a/c controls and others stopped working; And the rear bumper cover flew off while the van was in motion. Other things that have gone wrong were the windshield and the rear window (my van has the dutch door option) had to be removed and re-glued. The most annoying has been the frequent loss of a/c due to the thin plastic vacuum tube that goes from the vacuum reservoir to the back of the a/c controller. This little tube becomes brittle and breaks due to engine heat. When that happens all the air is routed to the defrost registers. In 100 degree heat its like no a/c at all. This has happened several times in the past years. The last time I routed the plastic tube inside a vacuum hose for protection. Hope it lasts.
That instrument cluster! Never knew the Astro’s gauges looked like that. I dig it.
I prefer my instrument cluster to have analogue gauges.
The thing that’s always confused me about the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari van is its safety. The NHTSA ranks them as the worst vehicles to have an accident in, but I’ve heard of more people emerging from an accident, suffering only minor injuries. Could it have more to do with the type of accident the van was involved in, or the fact that the occupants were wearing their seat belts?
I’ve been quite surprised how reliable these are. Known two different ones with over 200K miles…both ext versions, one a ’90 or so. That one had faded paint, rode like a buckboard, and interior pieces would fall off in your hands, but it just kept running and running with nothing but maintenance. The second one is owned by a co-worker; I think it’s an ’02 or ’03 and looks immaculate. Absolutely blew my mind when he told me it has close to 250K on it. That 4.3 is a solid motor.
I do also like the scaled-down fullsize styling of the 2nd-gen models. Which is really what these are.
Most real world accidents don’t happen running into a concrete barrier at 45mph like the gov’t test. Also this type of vehicle doesn’t attract the hot-rodding, accident prone element; but more the older, sane mom and pop crowd. GM redesigned it after the first two years and later ones did much better in the barrier tests
@ tmt: I agree. I’ve never been interested in hot-rodding anyway. If you’re careful with your car rather than reckless, you should be able to make it to your destination safely, which I believe 90% of the drivers want to do.