What do you think of this van?

[Lobosscott]

Hi there,  this is my first post.  I’m wanting to buy a camper van to go part time for now.  I live in an apartment and want to be able to park it in my underground parking which has limit of 80”.  I dont really have anywhere to build out a van from scratch.

I was wondering if any of you who are familiar with vehicles could comment on this posting in Craigslist?   To translate from Canadian to US, it has 125,000 miles and they are asking $11,600.   
Do you think a 1996 Chevrolet express with that many miles would be reliable, since I definitely want reliability.  How off road capable do you think this vehicle would be?
https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/cto/d/awd-camper-van-gmc-safari/6611132177.html

Thanks!

 

[user 15857]

They were towing something so I would want to know if the transmission has an auxiliary cooler on it. Overheating a trans while towing will ruin it in short order so I would have a trans shop inspect it closely. Nice looking set up for camping.

 

[deadwood]

great looking van. I could see doing some nice trips in a rig like that. I would have a mechanic go over it to make sure it really is in good condition and you won't have any surprises later on.

 

[highdesertranger]

that's a lot of money for a 1996. highdesertranger

 

[Firtree]

Is that considered a 1/2 ton, 3/4?
The AWD could be nice. I’d want to read reviews on it.  It will reduce your mileage, extra weight and all 4 wheels have power. Not the same as 4WD. I don’t know how you check to see if it has been abused.
From my Subaru experience with AWD all 4 tires have to have the same wear. There is a tolerance and once beyond that (one tire has more wear than the others) it will quickly tear up the AWD transfer package. So if one tire goes flat and is not repairable plan on replacing all four tires not one, not two.

I’m not crazy about canvas pop ups in the northwest.  Check for mold, mildew. I know there are tons of VW Westies in PNW but I’d want a garage to pop the thing open and dry out.

Don’t know if you want to crawl up top to sleep. Otherwise you remove the upper pad, store at home and use the upper area for storage when you stop. There is room for some low storage when the top is down. Take a look at the fold down back seat. See the curves in the seat back. You will have a broken back regardless of thickness of any added foam on top. The difference in the cushion between the back seat, the seat back and the hard surface behind the seat can’t be fixed.
It could be a nice day picnic vehicle but you couldn’t pay me enough to sleep on that lower bed setup.

 

[Lobosscott]

I’m going to go look at it tomorrow. I just noticed I said in my post it was a a Chevy Express...it’s actually a GMC Safari. I will definitely get it checked by a mechanic if I decide I want it. The towing is definitely a concern. I noticed that about the bed looking uneven and maybe not so comfy. I like the pop top idea since it will fit in my garage. The price does seem a bit high, but these GTRV converted vans tend to get good resale values I think. Thanks for your comments. Keep them coming.

 

[DannyB1954]

The Safari and the Chevy Astro were sisters, (just different trim). I believe they came with the GM 4.3 engine which was a good engine up to about 160,000 miles. They are a smaller van and the towing capacity will be limited. The rating is around 5,000 lbs, but that would be on flat land.
They are also rated as 1/2 ton. If you add a lot of water and batteries that limit will soon be reached.

I drove an Astro as a service vehicle and really liked it, but the side sliding door was always needing attention. The slide mechanism wears out over time and things get real sloppy. They have been out of production for a while now.

 

[frater secessus]

I like it! I'd sleep up top and leave the "ground floor" set up for daytime use.

 

[bonvanroulez]

I believe they came with the GM 4.3 engine which was a good engine up to about 160,000 miles. 

A neglected and hard-driven GM 4.3 liter could be good for at least 160,000 miles. A well-cared-for 4.3 will do well over 300,000. On the Astrosafari forum there are several reported cases of original 4.3s going 500,000 miles.

but the side sliding door was always needing attention.

Once again neglect will cause problems with the sliding door. With routine cleaning and lube of the door tracks and rollers it should operate indefinitely.