Found my van?

[Madpeep]

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5657451615.html

He has two Chevy Astros. The 2004 AWD Astro in this CL add has 120k miles. He says its running great and doesn't need any work at all. He also has another Astro that's 2WD with 94k miles. He has a small painting company and he needs a larger truck so he needs to sell one. At only $2k, seems pretty decent?

I've never bought a van before
I've never bought a used vehicle before

What should I look for and does this seem decent? Complete honesty please. I have thick skin.  I can take it. Thanks!

 

[Madpeep]

It's over an hour away, so I want to know what to look for before I get there. Also there are hundreds of vans for sale in the area. They're just mostly $3-5k in this year/mileage

I will be boondocking fairly exclusively. Stealth is of some concern, but reliability and mpg are primary goals. I'm 6' tall, so I need appropriate room to sleep in the back

 

[Madpeep]

Over 30 views and no comments? Guess it's not that good?

 

[rvpopeye]

I don't know anything about Astro vans so didn't have any advice.
Probably the rest were similar viewers.
Just wait a while .......

 

[Madpeep]

Im not snapping at you or anyone else. Connecticut is a tiny state. NYC, Boston, and Providence are all within 2-3 hours from anywhere in the state. Good deals don't last long.

 

[rvpopeye]

I didn't think you were. No worries.
I understand the need for speed ,good vans sell fast .
Sometimes it CAN be hard to do due diligence and still act fast enough.
I guess you could just get one and hope for the best?
You'll get responses , eventually.

 

[Madpeep]

Yeah. That's pretty much what I'm doing. Went and got the cash. Going to set up a meet to look them over. Hopefully some Astro owners chime in sooner rather than later.

Thanks for your understanding

 

[Gary68]

dont know anything about astros but in general look for rust,a little mean alot and alot means run away
make sure it sits square and level,all the tires are the same distance from fender
paper trail of repairs
drives straight,stops straight
expect repairs

 

[Almost There]

It's hard to tell from just the 4 pictures on the listing.

There is no description whatsoever of the vehicle so it's really hard to pass any judgement on it.

I can, however, see body damage to both the front and the rear in just those 4 pics.

Chevy Astro and GMC Safari are identical vehicles with just different branding like the Chevy Express and the GMC Savana. There are still thousands of them on the road. Last production year was 2005.

If you don't need a full size cargo van then they are an excellent alternative to the smaller 'mini-vans'. Better towing capacity, better cargo space and are what IMO constitutes a real mini van. The others are IMO nothing more than oversized cars, more like a station wagon than anything else.

If you don't really need 4 wheel drive, then stay away from buying one, repairs are way more expensive on the 4wd than on regular rear drive.

I owned one of each brand names and lives out of both. They were okay if you were living OUT of them, but too small to consider 'living in' out of. In the first one, I had a cargo trailer that held all the stuff that wouldn't fit and in the second was only using it part time.

I did hear rumors/gossip that the transmission was a problem on some but have nothing to substantiate that.

At 6' tall you will definitely be sleeping lengthwise. One of the nice things I found with my Safari was that I could load an 8 kayak in the back doors. It would just fit between the doors and the back of the front seats (no interior in it at all).

 

[highdesertranger]

I agree with Almost There, you cant tell anything from that add. another point AWD is not 4WD. I don't like AWD mainly because you can't shift it out of AWD into 2WD. so the whole time you are driving you are wearing out parts even if you only need 2WD. highdesertranger

 

[Madpeep]

He sent me interior photos, but I don't know how to add them here. It's full of equipment anyway, so you can't see much. It's all-wheel drive, not 4-wheel drive. It was mislabeled. Is AWD a mistake? One of the things I definitely want to do is drive up to Alaska. I do intend on taking a lot of highways, but you do see some rough roads boondocking. Is AWD unnecessary?

Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it

 

[DannyB1954]

I had an Astro that I used for a service van. It was not treated kindly and it never complained. The Chevy 4.3 is a good engine.
I recommend that you view the videos that this guy puts out for an astro build. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFIGeLH3rprJblgWb9u9DQ

 

[highdesertranger]

this is a personal opinion so take it like that. I would rather have a 2WD with a locker rear axle then a AWD. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

The price is unusually low.  Probably because a painters van is usually cosmetically trashed inside.  Not a problem if you are converting it.  Spend the money on a mechanic to evaluate it mechanically befor spending $2K.  Bargaining power.

 

[Madpeep]

How much does it cost to have a local mechanic look at it? I've owned 3 vehicles, all of them purchased new and serviced at Ford. So new experience for me. I don't have repoire with any mechanic

 

[Madpeep]

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5657459989.html

Here's the link to the 2WD Astro next to the other one. Same seller. 94k miles

 

[GotSmart]

A mechanic might charge about $50 to $80...

The fact that there are no claims in writing, and the low price means that would be money well spent.  Insurance.

 

[highdesertranger]

that person sure didn't put any effort into those ads. kinda makes you think. highdesertranger

 

[Madpeep]

I'll keep looking. Thank you all so very much for your help

 

[Annabelle]

How much does it cost to have a local mechanic look at it? I've owned 3 vehicles, all of them purchased new and serviced at Ford. So new experience for me. I don't have repoire with any mechanic

I have bought used vehs I do live in Maine and I take them to my garage man and ask him to look it over before I buy didn't cost anything !!