Overview & Reviews
While today's minivans offer levels of comfort and performance on par with sedans, the Chevrolet Astro was a minivan from a different era. Born in the mid-1980s when full-size Chevy vans were still in style, the Astro modeled the looks of its bigger brothers. It also shared their tough body-on-frame construction and rear-wheel-drive layout. Compared to front-wheel-drive, car-based minivans, the Chevy Astro was a true workhorse with considerable towing and hauling capabilities.
However, it was nowhere close to more modern minivans when it came to day-to-day convenience and driving ease. Its old-school, box-on-wheels design located the engine within close proximity of the passenger compartment, resulting in cramped quarters for the driver and front passenger, and high cabin noise levels. Getting kids in and out wasn't easy either, thanks to the van's high step-in height and single sliding rear door.
Ride and handling characteristics weren't bad considering the Astro's rudimentary suspension components, though driving it was certainly more akin to a truck than a car. Fuel economy was similarly trucklike, given the engine's origins in GM's light truck line and the Astro's hefty curb weight. Chevrolet did offer the Astro van with an all-wheel-drive system, which made it one of the handful of vans, mini or otherwise, capable of tracking confidently through snow and ice.
To be sure, the Chevrolet Astro fulfilled the basic requirements for a minivan, given its accommodations for up to eight passengers, removable rear seats and considerable 170 cubic feet of cargo room. But given that car-based competitors like the Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna have long been far nicer to drive and easier to use, we don't recommend the anachronistic Astro as a used vehicle choice unless you're in need of a small tow vehicle or family/cargo hauler at a rock-bottom price.
Most Recent Chevrolet Astro Introduced for 1985, the Chevrolet Astro, and its twin, the GMC Safari, lived on through the 2005 model year without a major redesign. Along with Ford's Aerostar (which debuted the following year), the Astro was a stopgap response to the wildly popular Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager twins. Truck-based underpinnings put these late entries at a significant disadvantage alongside the front-drive Chrysler minis, and both GM and Ford eventually undertook clean-sheet minivan designs. However, a niche market emerged for the Astro, and Chevrolet sold it profitably to ordinary consumers and fleet customers alike for the next two decades. A 4.3-liter V6 was standard on all Chevrolet Astro passenger vans. (Early cargo versions came with a four-cylinder engine.) This engine went through several iterations, producing anywhere from 150 to 200 horsepower, depending on the year and model. It held steady at 190 hp and 250 pound-feet of torque from 1997-2005. Initially, GM offered a standard five-speed manual transmission, but almost all Astros were sold with a four-speed automatic that soon became the sole transmission offering. Early vans were exclusively rear-wheel drive; Chevrolet added the option of all-wheel drive in 1990. Towing capacity was right around 6,000 pounds with either drivetrain. Chevy Astros of the 1980s seated only five passengers in two rows. In 1990, Chevrolet created an Extended version that was 10 inches longer (190 inches overall) and could be equipped with a third-row bench, increasing capacity to eight. Notably, it rode atop the same 111-inch wheelbase as the standard van. From 1995 onward, Chevrolet sold only the extended-length Astro. Standard equipment varied over the years, but most Astros you encounter on the used market will have 15-inch wheels (16s starting in 2003), power steering, air-conditioning, cloth seating, an AM/FM stereo, power accessories and cruise control. Options included rear air-conditioning, leather upholstery, second-row bucket seats (reducing seating capacity to seven), upgraded stereos, towing preparation and a locking rear differential. The Chevrolet Astro changed remarkably little over the years, though there were some noteworthy developments. Four-wheel antilock brakes were made standard on Astro passenger vans in 1990. The brake system was upgraded again in 2003, when the van's rear drum brakes were swapped out for discs. A driver-side front airbag first became available in 1993, and Chevy made it standard the next year. Dual front airbags were fitted to all vans starting in '96. The addition of airbags improved the Astro's crashworthiness in government frontal-impact tests, but prospective buyers should note that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the van "Poor" (the lowest possible score) in its higher-speed, frontal-offset crash test -- hardly a surprise given the vehicle's aged structural design. A 1995 face-lift gave the Astro a fresher exterior look. The face-lift spread to the interior in 1996, bringing an all-new dashboard with easy-to-use controls. Speed-sensitive power steering was added to ease parking in 1997, and in 1999, Chevrolet adopted a new all-wheel-drive system that sent power to the front wheels only when the rear wheels began to slip -- thus improving fuel economy.
This is my second Astro. The first I drove 230,000 miles with little maintenance. This is longer but handles nicely I put Mogg idler arms on the 1991 that greatly improved the steering and handling. I plan to do it on the 2005 in a year or so. I now have 40000 miles on the 2005. I drive these vans from SC to Yellowstone Natl. Park and on to Phoenix and back. I pull a midsized bass boat for short 20 or 50 trips. We especially like the fold down bench seats for the second and third row seats. We throw coats and etc. over the first folded down bench. I have driven Toyota vans but this Astro will outdrive it hands down with a lot of hauling space.
We purchased this Astro as a conversion in 1990 with 18K. It just died last week when the tranny died at 246K. The Astro was a good van, though after 150K miles it started to suck up money. We had prblems with a fuel pump, one window motor, the paint coming off after 200K miles, and the A/C system and hood latch. It also ran through a lot of tires in its time, but it went over a lot of rough roads too. We got our money out of the thing, the Starcraft conversion was excellent, and the gas mileage was decent for most of its career at 20 mpg. The biggest pain was the well documented vacuum hose problem. The bad rap the Astro got for crash tests and bad production values was not true in out case!
It has nice performance and very good reliability. Will recomend to everyone.
I got lucky compared to some on here. I havent yet spent $600 on repairs in 9 yrs. Bought new and has been less reliable than my previous Astro in some ways. Transmission needed a $170 repair and rear A/C line is not properly supported, wore a leak and needed $350 repair. Water pump going at 80k not impressive. Battery was defective and died from terminal rot out disease that was designed into it to save a few cents. The trans trouble was from an alum part in place of cast iron that was tried and failed. Interior and paint have held up great. No rattles, fade, or things getting loose. Engine like new. Van was well built and gets 23 mpg on trips. Road handling is a weak spot.
We have owned an Astro since 1999, bought at 2K miles. We have paid for repair after repair since then. Some of the repairs have been for the same thing over and over. If I were to put together all of the repair reciepts, I think the total might even shock us. Watch out for idler arm problems! Again and again- its just poorly designed. Also, weve had multiple problems with the electrical system, little motors and switches, etc. In contrast, we also own Toyota products, which havent needed nearly the amount of expensive and redundant repair. Beware!
Our Astro van has served us wonderfully for the last 10 years. Other than a new transmission while still under warrenty it has not had any major problems. It is very powerful(for a minivan), fun to drive and comfortable on long trips.
This has been our family car since 2001 and weve been very pleased. It has over 160k miles and shows no sign of quitting.
I owned mine for about 4 yrs and only sold during a relocation. When I sold it I had over 260K miles on it and it still ran quiet enough to where if I was sitting still I couldnt tell if it was running without the tach. I used this vehicle to haul everything, 800 lbs of gravel for the pool up a steep incline, riding lawn mower fit in the back for the repair shop (seats out of course), to a gaggle of 7 kids (seats in) on mutiple 800 mile road trips pulling a loaded mid sized trailer. If I had to go back I probably wouldnt bother trying to chew the guy down a few hundred - was money very well spent. Every Chevy I had ever had has hit 250K miles. Go Chevy!
Unless you have a large family and you intend to tow more than the typical mini-van will allow, dont buy one. With just 35,000 mi. Im already having mechanical problems. Weve replaced the ignition, "U" joint and the water pump. There is something else that is making noise under the hood that I havent tracked down yet and the front end will need work in the very near future. It gets poor fuel economy when compared to other mini-vans and really is not a comfortable vehicle to drive.
Been pretty reliable so far. The brakes on this vehicle are awesome ( design was borrowed from their truck line 4 wheel discs) Im 63 with long legs and this is the only vehicle that I can actually sit in without hitting my knees. This also includes the 3rd row seats. Ive tried a lot of vehicles. Rear heat and A/C is effective. With a 8 seats filled, cargo room is still ample for that trip to L.A. I dont have have the towing gears, so I get with AWD 15 city and 21 highway. Power is as strong as any other minivan out there. Ride is a bit stiff. AWD helps with handling corners and different road terrain. GM has improved interior sound levels and rattles compared to prior years. User Reviews:
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