The Chevrolet Astro Van is Quietly Becoming a Cult Classic - Review and Test Drive
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- 00:00 Start
00:04 Drive at dawn
00:26 Intro, weather, New Yorker
03:25 Start of review
14:05 Events of 2003
17:32 Exterior styling
19:37 Dutch doors
20:43 Under the hood
24:06 Rear door, back seats
26:58 Front seats, controls
31:-9 Test drive, wrap up
1985 Chevy Astro Commercial:
• 1985 Chevrolet Astro V...
Motorweek Retro Review: Chevy Astro
• 1985 Chevy Astro / GMC...
Pontiac Safari Review:
• *SOLD A Lost Treasure ... - Авто та транспорт
All Astros and GMC Safaris were Proudly made in the GM plant in Baltimore MD. Sadly that plant shut down after the Astro was discontinued. It operated from 1935 to 2005😥
So stop buying Japanese shit.
Driven past there many times.
Pretty sad. Now make them anywhere but here. 🇲🇽😑
Wow that was running the lifespan of the suburban! The suburban will keep the oldschool going till the end 🙏. My favorite gen is the gmt800 2000-2006 model year. Best SUV in human history. Besides a toyota landcrusier lol
Late 90s, I went on a tour of the Baltimore GM plant, and watched many employees working together to assemble these van's. Still to this day have wonderful memories of that experience.
9:18 "basically women just ruin everything." I got your back on that one. 😆
lmao
My dad hit 100 in this van. When I was a kid. First time seeing it. I love you dad!
I hope it was a later model (like this one). The 1st gen Astro vans have 0 safety features. (I have a 1988 model).
CHEVY ASTRO ONE OF THE MOST RELIABLE AND DEPENDABLE VANS
These vans are bigger deal to find in perfect condition than some million dollar super car.
3 yrs ago I offered 6000$ for a perfect cherry red with red interior 1994 SLT/ 12000 kilometers (Canada) the guy wanted none of it, he said it was destined to a museum some day, what a fkface. Saved me from my stupid nostalgia
That just kills me, Bill going "Good Morning! It's another shitty day in Florida". Absolute funny.
I tune in for that!
Was he 'going' or 'saying' good morning?
You would think you would move North🤣
You must be retired in FL😜
Maaaaaan, I wish they still made Astros. Growing up, we had a 87 and then an 00. Pulled our boat, our pop-up camper, hauled 3 kids plus friends daily, and it hardly ever had problems. The Astro was a beast.
Bill, your snark and pessimism never fail to brighten my day. Good stuff!
Good van. I assisted my sister in buying a slightly tired 200,000 mile ex-Coca-Cola Astro AWD cargo van a few years ago to use as a weekend camper. Nothing like buying a car at a little gravel car lot in nowhere SC, then immediately stabbing it on the highway for the 100 mile trip back home....at night. It never missed a beat.
I used to borrow my roommates pre face lift Astro all the time in the 90s - it was a different time, to be sure. It was the "mini"van for truck owners. Much less refined than the Chryslers, but man, could it work and tow.
In my town, a local cab company is still running Astros day and night like it’s 1995.
@@mr.butterworth4216 I have never seen one of these used in that way, interesting.
@@mr.butterworth4216 My dad used his personal 2005 Chevy astro for cowboy cab based in Dallas, TX.
It still has the original white and metallic gray finish.
The van has been unused for a longtime until recently when I have started using it.
The seats are very comfy so I don't see why you wouldn't want to ride in one.
It is a Truck, not a Mini Van. Don't lift it by the Rocker Panel's. So many shop's crush them, and your door handles break off by the rub.
One might say that Bill is THE GOAT of UA-cam Auto reviews.
Facts
You might think so. NOT! Expand your views on UA-cam, and in the mean time send him a blow up Ken doll. He would love that...
Bill from auto europa naples
Absolute Facts
He makes Top Gear look like amateurs.
Whenever Bill says, short video, I immediately look at the length of the vid, and laugh!
Bill-“Woman basically ruin everything” true-er words can’t be said! That is a riot!
These are great vans! My parents had two of them, first a 1994 which they bought when I was 8 then a 2000. Both were very reliable from what I can remember. They were always fun vehicles for the many long road trips we took. I learned to drive in the 2000 Astro & continued to drive it until I finally got my own car. My major gripe with these were the front seats which legroom was tight due to the location of the engine, but there was plenty of room inside besides that.
We had two of them where I worked. Both had well over 300K miles. They were tanks. I put a fair number of miles on both of them.
Wow!...came for the Astro van, stayed for the phenomenal open minded and hilarious narrator!!....and OMG he nailed it with the Italian American reference....My Italian American dad bought this van and loved EVERYTHING that he mentioned!....New sub!...Thank you!...Paul
Astros cargo vans were great. I've driven a number of them with over 300K miles worked to death but still running strong!!!
you didnt kill yourself
@@funfunfun732
Nope!!!!!😈
@@jefferyepstein9210 lol
I drove one of these brand new in 1997. It was the most comfortable driving vehicle of that size I’d ever driven. The Astro probably stands as one of the most fantastic family movers America ever had.
This was a wonderful little van back in the day, worked on alot of them and they are little tanks 😀
What typically goes wrong
@@Mabeylater293 My neighbor has a 1988 with low miles and it's rust free:
They get the usual GM disorders from age related /deterioration issues, engine sensors, check engine light(s) on etc...
@@Mabeylater293 as far as age related, there is a TSB for the crank position sensor for the 95-03. The timing cover begins to move/warp after about 100,000 miles. So when the sensor moves, by even just a few millimeters, it confuses the ECU and causes misfires. So replacement sensors come with these tiny metal shims that you can install with the sensor so space the sensor away from the reluctor wheel on the crank. Other than keeping the oil changed, and keeping up with tune ups. (I recommend Iridium plugs, you can change the wires/cap/rotor twice for every plug change)
The only real vulnerable part after that would be the 4L60E transmission. Which, if you baby it and do a service, (drop the pan and clean, change the filter, and refill with 5 quarts) every 20-30k depending if you tow. You can keep the transmission in good condition. To put it another way, I've seen 4L60s last 90k behind a V6, and I've seen them last 220k behind a 5.3L V8. So how you take care of it, and how you treat it, is very important.
The earlier model vans also ran into a Random Misfire problem as well, after about 120k the drive gear would wear out on the distributor, so pulling it, pop out a pin, change the gear, and restab distributor. Would have you fixed and back on the road.
Got my 2003 in january and been trying to bring it back to life. Much progress made
Mine's a Safari RWD. Zero rust, small 'curb crease' behind the side door which didn't crack the still-beautiful factory paint. Needed head gaskets, caused by "dexcool death". Mine sat two years before I got it, drove a few miles, then has been sitting 3 more years just needing the top end assembled, then ball joints, brakes cleaned and overhauled and of course the final acid-clean to get the last of the dexcrud out. If you get a "crank/no start" make sure all the grounds are good on the engine- there's about a dozen of them...
Bill, Thanks again for another "memory vehicle" When I first got into sales I had to travel a lot. I rode in many of those Chevy Astro vans that were used as hotel airport pickup rides. The hotel industry loved them!
My mom got a 99 Astro in green in about 03. We called it the dumpster. Was a great family hauler, only ever had a problem with the back door and some kinda weird electrical issue. Mechanically was rock solid.
The car reviews are fun, but Bill's weather rants are wonderful.
I used to watch mostly music in UA-cam but your videos has become one of my favourite nowadays - they are funny and great source of some information. I own myself a -97 Town Car.
Bill, every time I watch your channel it truly puts a huge grin on my face. Thank you from the other side of the world 🇳🇿
We had one of the 1st models with the dutch door option. A ‘92 I think with AWD. Little known fact those cubbies under the armrests in the back as shown at 26:18 are actually coolers. They have drain tubes in the bottom. Perfectly sized for juice boxes and kept my 3 kiddos hydrated on long road trips.
Load those puppies up with some Dr. Pepper and ice 'em down! Let's hit the road!
Bill make them long I don't care how long your videos are because I laugh all the way through them. I'm still laughing at"soccer moms rather die in a house fire than show up to pick little johnny up in a mini-van". I watch every one even if I'm not interested in the ride. Thanks a million Bill, God knows I need a laugh with the price of steaks where they are now.
With that-There like the Swiss Army knife of the car world as usual WOMEN BASICALLY RUIN EVERYTHING! Now that’s lol
The “women ruin everything” did it for me. 😂 still laughing.
You are easily entertained.
@@goatfightshop3769 You know he's gay, right? Not that there's anything wrong with that...
@@kenk7451He's not wrong. You've never had a woman get mad at you for playing the video game and not giving her the attention that the man is giving the game?
It’s hard to believe that we’ll be calling an Astro Van a classic soon enough. And yes my chiropractor can confirm those seats are unbelievably heavy.
The Astro and the Safari were awesome products hands down
The Concorde crashed taking off at Charles de Gaulle in France. Heathrow is in England.
I have owned several Astros, love the look and the style! It’s absolutely not the best handling van out there, but it’s ok comfortable. They had a lot of issues, but the soul will always be intact in those vans!❤️
It had typical gm issues but it was reliable overall I had a 87 on its last leg do amazing things got me through hard times even though it was in the worst condition.
@@eduardorivera4100 I absolutely agree, it will take the beating and keep going! The updated version after 1996 is the best, most of the electrical issues are gone, but all “generations” suffers from weak rear end and rust!
It's how I feel about my dodge caravan cargo van..falling apart but keeps on kickin..I'd love to have an ASTRO tho..
Glad to hear that it handles weird. I jus got one, and I know it will take a little time to get used to, but so worth it !
LOL "25 minute video".. 36 minutes later LOL! Bill, you are the GREATEST!!!!
25 min...tops.
I was both informed and laughed the entire 36mins...keep up the great work Bill. Your humor and personality are much needed in this messed up world.
From 2000 to sometime in 2015/16 I went through two Astro's at my place of employment. First one ended up with over 300k on the clock, second was well on it's way there. Fuel injection issues caused the sale of the first and I eventually ruined the transmission in the second. I have a heavy foot and curvy Ozark roads to play on. Very comfortable and easy to drive. The one big issue was on either one the fuel pump would fail like clockwork once a year. You could almost mark the calendar.
Nice take on the Astro. We had one of the first short wheel base versions. I drove the family from L.A. to Hagerstown, MD and back in it. We used it up and it became an ice cream truck after I sold it. Mechanics always charged an extra $20 to take the “doghouse” off to work on the back of the engine from inside the cab.
we have a 2003 turning it into a camper , changed out the transfer case (after market kit) -from the S10 to 4wd - thanks for the review !
My parents had a 1997 GMC Safari AWD and it served us well. It could hold eight people and with the AWD it was excellent in snow. It was reliable except for the interior falling apart.
It's a common misconception that these were S10 based vans- they don't share all that much with them at all aside from the 4.3. They are wider than the S10, have a unique rear end housing, 5x5 bolt pattern on the 5 lug vans, and the subframe is in essence a full size GM B/C/D body chassis lopped in half, with heavy duty front end components from the Cadillac Commercial Chassis. As Bill mentions these were made to be a more garageable van than the G series, these are more like a slightly shrunken G10 shorty van overall. They're very overbuilt for their intended purposes, which is why these things always seem to have a ton of miles on them when you find one.
Bill, I've been missing the cycling of the lights/start-up portion in the beginning! Maybe it's just me, but I loved when you started doing that. Thanks for doing a video on the Astro, one of my all time favorite vehicles.
Uzis, Drugs and malt liquor. "Curious cars" in a nutshell!! Love u Bill
Awesome van! This is why Bill's videos are the best! His cars are something I can both afford and would want to own. The history thrown in is great too.
Hey Bill ,
I've been waiting for you to review Vans I'm looking forward to this.... Maybe sometime in the future you could review a typical 70s style custom van if so I know people in Florida that could lend you one.....
Happy memorial day weekend
Anthony
These vans use to be made 2 miles from my house and my step dad use to make them. It is good to see this video
I’m a teacher at the end of the school year. I could definitely use that flask!!! 😂.
As always, great stuff. I’m suffering from the same miserable, muggy weather over here in Pembroke Pines. 9 years until retirement. I’m moving north!
Bless all you teachers. Enjoy your well deserved summer break!
Those were great for construction work. When I was doing interior trim we had an Astro van that held our tools nicely! Let me know when you decide what to do to get rid of those flasks! I don't drink, so it would never get used for it's intended purpose, but I'd love to have one just the same! Hell, if you decide to sell them, just tell me where to send the money! Love your videos. I Being 54 years old, we definitely grew up in the same era, and I get a real kick out of your references to Uzi's and cocaine stashes! Plenty of solid information about the history of cars, and you keep me laughing with all the 70's and 80's jokes! Keep on killin it! I'll definitely keep watching!
My mother used to own a 1993 Astro Conversion High Top Van by Explorer with very low miles. After she passed away I sold it on eBay to a couple from Pennsylvania and I got a very good price for it for a no reserve auction. I kind of wished I had kept it because it drove incredible.
this is probably my favorite automotive review channel
Oh Bill, you’ve got me with the flask! First I’d thought you are turning into “Hey guys, buy my merchandise” in every video guy, but then, hats off to you. Giving to people that you always say make you happy by appreciating your video… You are a legend sir! Thank you, looking forward to your next videos!
Bill, honestly man...... anything you review, is always fun to watch.
Thanks again from a chipper Canadian
I drive a 2000 LS astro which was in pristine condition when we got it registered in our country. No dents, no scratches, entirely rust free. Now 2 years later I have long scratches on the sides and dents on the fenders and upper dutch door along with cracked driver side skirt panel all due to jealous vandals. Just had a tire stem slashed on my own yard today too
The grill and headlights on this van are legit as hell! The hood reminds me of my S10. Nice looking van!
I can only imagine what bill would do if he was in the Congo. His weather reports are AWESOME.
He wouldn't last a minute.
"There's a kid with an AK eyeing me up, hope he doesn't swoop in and attack me."
@@kenk7451 He Would
The animals would drive him nuts
The nostalgia brought me here, my parents had various iterations of the GMC Safari. When my brothers, sister, and I were growing up. I sat in the middle seat by the door, my sister beside me, and my brothers in the back, we went everywhere in those, the AWD version I was told used different rotors when dad had to replace them at our trailer. It used a 3/4 ton truck chassis and pulled his 18' Tracker fishing boat with ease and got my sister and her friends up Mount Tremblant in Quebec with just as much ease.
These things were far better than any similar Dodge or Ford product of the day. Surprisingly, there is still quite a few of them kicking around as well.
Thanks again Bill! We are looking forward to more older stuff from you soon. 👍👍
Had an 03 Safari for 11 years, tough van.
yes!!! just got home again and perfect timing, thx Bill!!!! take care brother.
oh and yes please keep us updated onthe iroc build!! I'm thinking about doing one myself this summer. thx again brother!! 🏎
This is a real gem Bill ... I'm glad you didn't shorten this review ... I really enjoyed the background and cultural/economic impact of vans ... from 'seedy underbelly' to economic work horses ... pure unadulterated, Americana ...
I fell in love with Vans after of course watching the A-Team.
Unfortunately American vans only made it to Australia via personal importation and in small numbers ... mainly Chevy & GMC.
We had our locally produced GMH Holden, Ford Australia & imported Japanese vans ... but nothing like the American vans and definitely not Astros.
Some of the LWB factory conversion vans are simply amazing ... thanks Bill ...
Another appearance by the 2 tone TAG! Great video as usual, Bill.
Love the reviews of these regular, formerly ubiquitous vehicles, most of which have used up and discarded at this point.
Keep up the great work. Love watching the late 80’s luxury reviews. I’m up here in Canada and I have lots of room in my backseat ! Your frustration with the weather, conniving wild life and ashtray comments etc are the best. Better than anything on tv now but that’s not saying much ! Wishing you 55% humidity with zero evil birds or rodents. If you smoke you should perform an ash tray and lighter demo on a
night drive.
I used to have an Aerostar when i first move to the United States I kept it for 3 years then traded it for a 02 Astro! I love both vans.
Thanks Bill I remember these back in the day my parents owned a 1996 Chevrolet ASTRO for many reliable years of service .
I had a 1995 Astor Conversion.
Loved that van !
Got it cheap for $1800 in 2008,
The sound system I had in there was amazing.
No "boom, boom, boom" with a cheap boom box.
Had a nice 12 inch dual voice coil sub tube 200 w
2 6x9 in the rear 100w
forgot the front speakers what they were.
Sound was amazing. Sounded like a Music Studio inside and crystal clear sound.
I miss that van.
Traded it for a 2002 Escape.
Dealer wasn't going to give me but $1000 on trade. Told him I wanted $2500.
Once he heard the sound system he gave me the money.
He decided to buy it from me.
While I was there they had 1 left over last year 2005 Astor Conversion new on the lot.
I fell in love with it and wanted it so bad.
Couldn't afford it. Sticker was $42,000 !
2003 was when I bought my first house! It was around that time that my employer let me use an Astro for a month-long project. Even though that particular one was already worn out with over 100k miles on it, it still drove very nicely. If I had had my family back in those days, and didn’t already have my XJ Cherokee, I would have seriously considered owning one of these.
The six bold wheels and brake disks were adopted because the earlier ones were thinner and warping too soon. The more heavy duty ones from light trucks lasted much longer.
yup, they changed in 03 for the last 3 years of the vans life. They probably also did it because they didn't have many 5-lug style axle vehicles anymore, so it was also consolidating parts production.
Amen to that Bill, minivans are far more spacious in a practical sense than SUV's. We traded in our Range Rover (10,000 km in the shop, 2,000 km on the road), for a Toyota Sienna Limited.
I just enjoy ALL your videos!!!!
This is my favorite Chevy passenger van.
Nice job with your content as always bro.
My school years were filled with orientation and mobility lessons, that is, learning how to get around your locale as someone who is visually impaired or blind. To help facilitate the transport to these various spots in your town, especially if we did holiday shopping, sometimes the instructors would drive these Astro vans. I remember them all the way back to the 90s. Definitely have memories about them.
Never owned a Astro van but I did admire the ones co-workers or friends had. Good video & cool flask.
My dad had one of these, I actually learned to drive on it. To bad the AWD system developed a vibration that no dealer could cure, so had to trade after a few years.
Love these vans and your vids!
Nice review, great van. I actually have a Astro Cargo van I purchased in 2003 with a little over 150K miles on it, still runs and looks great. Great utility vehicle.
My grandaddy had one when he did his transportation service. These are actual van's even though this is mini by true van standards it's not a minivan.
Why the hell am I watching this video? It just goes to show you I will watch anything Bill puts out!
That’s a good looking can. Amazing what passage of time does to one’s appreciation of something many looked down upon at the time.
That 4.3 is in my opinion the best V6 ever made.
And you can make it a sleeper of a hot rod van if you wanted to beef it up too.
That 4.3 has lots of upgrade potential.
Fun video Bill!! The Astro reminded me so much of the good ol sport van craze of the 70's with their CB's and custom paint jobs.
Keep these videos rollin, love it!!
How would you beef up a v6?
AWD Astro/Safaris are just turbo-less Syclones.
@@TheReal_JG Yes that is correct
One of those random 2 AM video finds. Love your storytelling!
Been working out of one for 15 years absolutely awesome vehicle for me.best vehicle ever made the awd is unreal
I just bought a 1997 Astro and I absolutely in love
Thanks for showing for a couple of seconds the J2000 Pontiac station wagon. Ir was my 1st car i have owned. Lots of memories.
My dad has one of these so it resonates with me pleasantly. Hoping we can get ours back on the road soon.
Dang, thank you for doing these type of vehicles also. It brings back such great memories from my childhood. I still remember back in the 1990s specifically 1996 & 1998. I was 6 years old in 1996 & 8 years old in 1998. Both those years my family & I took a road trip to Mexico. We drove from SouthWest Florida (Naples/Bonita Springs, Bill knows what I'm talking about hehe) all the way to Guanajuato Mexico. It took us about 3 days to get there. As a kid I remember loving that road trip & looking forward to it. Anyway, for both those road trips my dad would buy a full size van, but we also had one of these mini vans. They were perfect for these type of road trips. So comfortable & my brother & I could fall asleep perfectly. I still remember the feelings I'd get as we neared the end of our roadtrip just looking out the windows & entering Mexico. For one year my dad took one of those big ass Chevy Vans. I forgot what they were called, & on a different year my Dad ended up buying a Mazda Minivan, I think they're called MVPs? Not sure. But I remember all my uncles loving that minivan, For the time everyone thought it looked super modern & so cool lol. They all wanted to buy it off of my dad lol. He ended up selling one of the big chevy vans to one of my uncles. That van had everything in it. It had a small pull out kitchen table, it had curtains, a mini fridge, a small sink & just a bunch of commodities. Man, how I wish I could go back to those times & just enjoy it even more, knowing that those times were fleeting from my grasp.
Fantastic flasks. Made me chuckle.
This guy is funny. Brutally honest and funny.
That look from 1985 carries on to this day in the full size Chevy Express cargo and passenger vans.
Love watching your reviews . Thanks for making me laugh and reminding me of things I've forgotten. Having been born(hatched) in 70
I relate to most of everything you share. Ever run across a 1981 Delta 88 Royale Brougham 2 door would love to see it
Appreciate the kind words - we are of the same vintage. As to the Olds, I did do a 1984 before:
ua-cam.com/video/GXqbSssHxQ4/v-deo.html
Had one of these for a few years when my plumbing business was in its infancy. By the time we traded it in, it was really falling apart. But the drivetrain still worked perfectly. Crude but durable.
Only Bill can make a Chevy Astro Van review enjoyable. Bill was a welcome coping mechanism during the COVID DAYS
OMG you crack me up!!! You're the best and I love the van.🤣🤣🤣
This van is really underappreciated. It is used for everything from contractors to 4 wheel drive over landing adventure vehicles. The 4wheel drive system can be upgraded with a Jimmy low range transfer case. Add the rear locker and they become very confident off roaders. They embarrass much more expensive and modern off-roaders.
Modern offroaders don't exist anymore. People (women) would rather drive cars based off an offroader chassis and drive it on the road nowadays.
I prefer pickups (90's Hilux) but you can never go wrong with a van.
I still see these former passenger vans turned into beater construction vans. They are excellent.
@@EyePatchGuy88 there are jeeps and the new bronco. But they are so full of electronics, they are more gizmos than guts.
I absolutely LOVE my 1997 GMC Safari Van! She has 170K miles on her and runs great with a small amount of love. Of course she has her quarks… If you don’t own an old GMC van for long or have a good “ol fashion” mechanic you could spend a fortune chasing down symptoms of a loose or melted vacuum hose, a dirty distributor cap (needs to be cleaned from time to time) or a simple PCP valve elbow! Once you learn the little quirks that come with a Safari they quickly become irreplaceable. In fact, after colliding with a six point buck at 65 miles per hour I have completely repaired my van and have her back n the road today! If I were in a more “modern” vehicle during the collision I feel that the deer could have come through the windshield! I barely felt the impact. I hope GMC produces another van like the Safari in the near future. Until then I will keep mine on the road.
Glad to hear that I'm worried about driving mine super far due to crashes
I've always liked these ! & they were very multipurpose never understood why the quit making them when they did! Along with the S10 P/U , & S10 Blazers all RWD , & I remember when I took my 03 Silverado in for service & asking why they were quit making them they just shrugged there shoulders ! I just said it didn't make sense seeing they were selling them as fast as they put them out on the lot ! & I'm sure the right person will want this awesome Astro only because it's what they were looking for. Thanks for the video.
Great video sir love your videos👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Great video, thanks!
Almost like discounted truck. Only you can go from high end AMGs to family jetson van from the early 2000’s. Love it and keep it up Bill!
FtLaud... "If this van is a rocking don't come a nocking". 😎
Love the flask. That was my idea, on a t-shirt, but the flask makes complete sense. I would definitely buy one. Look forward to "hoping" to get one.
I never thought I'd see Bill selling a van!
If this van’s a-rockin ’, don’t bother knockin’.
Good morning, Bill! A mid-forties rotund Ohioan here... and you're not kidding... that van looks awesome!
Bill I love all the GMs' you've rolled out! Sending you cooler summer air from Buffalo, NY.