Overview & Reviews

At its introduction, the Chevrolet Venture and its corporate siblings were top-notch examples of the hot minivan class. We went so far as to describe it as "outstanding," impressed with its communicative chassis, sharp steering and nimble handling. Well, in a "the 320-pound left tackle was surprisingly nimble" sort of way.

At the time, the Venture matched Chrysler's innovative new minivans by offering a driver-side sliding door and two wheelbases, then added a few tricks of its own to entice families. We weren't so impressed with its toothy chrome grille and uncomfortable modular seating, but in general, we considered the Chevrolet Venture a good buy.

Time and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) was not kind, however, as newer minivans and a poor offset crash rating conspired to sink the Venture's favorable opinion marks. The downturn of all minivan sales also torpedoed Chevy's entry, forcing General Motors to throw together a replacement van using the Venture's body, a long aardvark-inspired nose and raised ride height to create the supposed SUV-like Uplander. Nobody bought the idea of a crossover minivan and for that matter, nobody bought the vehicle either, signaling the eventual end of Chevy's participation in this mom-mobile segment.

Most Recent Chevrolet Venture

The Chevrolet Venture was sold from 1997-2005. Buyers could choose from standard and extended wheelbases, and three- and four-door bodies. The three-door body disappeared in 2000, while only the long-wheelbase model was available in 2005. Seven-passenger "modular" seating with individually removable chairs was standard, while eight-passenger capacity and middle-row captain's chairs were optional.

Standard features included antilock brakes, front side airbags (starting in 1998), a tilt steering wheel and an acceptable quota of cupholders and storage bins. Traction control, a power-sliding door, rear seat audio and climate controls, and a load-leveling suspension were options. As its life progressed, features like leather seating, rear parking assist, OnStar and satellite radio became available. A Warner Bros. special edition featuring special badges and a VHS entertainment system (later DVD) was offered from 2000-'03. Although initially satisfied with Venture's fit and finish, we eventually saw it as increasingly cheap and as just one area where Chevy's minivan was being outclassed by a new generation of competition.

The Venture's safety was also put into question by the IIHS' frontal offset crash test, which slapped a poor rating on the minivan's Pontiac Trans Sport clone. Although it did just fine in the NHTSA's full-frontal crash test, other minivans at the time did better at handling the added structural stresses of an offset collision. However, the Venture was the first minivan to offer front side airbags as standard equipment, while standard antilock brakes and optional all-wheel-drive improved traction.

During its first few years on sale in the late-1990s, the Venture was our top pick in the minivan segment. But once the next millennium dawned, so did other, more attractive family haulers – particularly those from foreign manufacturers. Although a well-equipped Venture could present a good bargain, it would be a wise idea to shop newer minivan designs that have better safety ratings.

Past Chevrolet Ventures

There was only one generation of the Chevrolet Venture. It replaced the Lumina minivan.

User Reviews:

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  My Venture Van is a Money Pit - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By Thompson Family - May 29 - 12:39 pm

  From an appearance standpoint, I am pleased with my 2000 Venture, and enjoy driving it. As far as quality of the build, it blows me away how GM continues to flood the market with poor quality vehicles with embarrasing resale values. Among the mechanical problems Ive had in my first 3 years of owning it (between 45,000-90,000 on the odometer): -Expensive leaking manifold gasket/coolant problems at 50,000 miles -Expensive ABS brake issues -Expensive front end & ball joint replacement -Warrantied sliding door Issues -Int. and Ext. electrical constantly flickers because of a short somewhere. - Fuel gauge always pegged on Full until the low fuel light comes on (then it shows empty)

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  very comfortable for long rides - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By Joyce - May 20 - 12:14 pm

  I bought this car after driving an Outback to Chicago and knowing I couldnt drive it for long rides. So I bought this and 3 weeks later drove to Denver, 1700 miles. Since then Ive driven it 4 times to Denver and twice to Dallas. Its extremely comfortable, reasonable gas mileage, and a huge cargo space. Id buy another one if they still made them.

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  Well worth buying - 2005 Chevrolet Venture
  By 2004 Venture - May 11 - 1:30 am

  Overall, its well worth its money. That same day I went into the Toyota dealer and walked out and Im glad I did and right into the Chevy dealership. Good on fuel, handles well, lots of space and the kids loved the DVD player.

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  Minivan Comeback - 2001 Chevrolet Venture
  By Felix - April 26 - 11:31 am

  Great vehicle for family. Handles like a car and good gas economy. Not too sure about the auto-daylights running all the time.

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  Love my Venture - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By shanna - April 23 - 3:37 pm

  I love our Venture van! We have had very few problems other than recall and regular maintance. This van is great on trips with children! We are up to 82000 miles and still no major problems with the van. We really like the versitility of the seats because you can remove one or more to accomadate your personal needs at the time, and I can remove them by myself which was not something I could ever do with the Ford van we owned previously!

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  Too Many Problems - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By ? - April 22 - 8:55 pm

  When new, towed back to dealer 3 times because it wouldnt start. Bad Ground. Two recalls on power door. New brakes with less than 20000 miles. Environmental air pump failure Out of warranty,$300+ repair. Sudden Transmission failure at 43000 miles. Chevy Paid even though it was 2yrs out of warranty. 3000 miles after rebuild, rough shifting & whirring noise, trouble with transmission pressure solenoid. Suggested it might be ROOT CAUSE of original transmission FAILURE. Fell on DEAF ears, $400+ bill! Leaking Plastic Gas Lines replaced. Another $400 bill. Car is 5 yrs old with 46600 miles. No longer sure of its reliability. Due for new exhaust system. Suspect Power Steering needs somethng.

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  Great when it works...but rarely works - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By cschroed - April 12 - 5:31 pm

  Overall we were satisfied with the Venture. Unfortunately, were on our third hub/bearing assembly at 60,000 miles. The rear heat controls fail intermittently and blast the back seats with straight hot air. The brake fluid low light comes on for no reason. Our intake manifold gasket leaks coolant, and the air conditioner stopped working this week. Its a great van when it works, but theres always something wrong with it. Unfortunately most of these issues are well known to Venture owners and dont seem to be addressed by Chevy. Most of these problems happened shortly after the warranty expired.

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  I love my Chevy Venture - 2005 Chevrolet Venture
  By skoolmoma - March 19 - 11:51 am

  I love my Chevy Venture. I look forward to driving it everyday. Sometimes I even make up excuses to drive it!! My daughter loves all of the room inside and I love the many features it came with. I love the rear park aid and the homelink system that allows me to open my garage door with my van! No garage door opener! This is an excellent vehicle and so family friendly!

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  Buy warrantee - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By Chevrolet Venture L - February 26 - 11:35 am

  With less than 45000 miles I have replaced 4 wheel bearings, the left front was replaced twice. Now my light is on telling me I probably have another bearing going out. Ive had a tie-rod replaced, and most of my driving is done on paved streets. The side doors never sound like they are shut tight. In my opinion they are under powered for the weight they are pulling.

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  Great minivan - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By Dave - February 24 - 4:21 pm

  I have owned this minivan for 3.5 years. The only time it has been in the shop is for oil changes and tire rotations. It is very reliable and I have been pleasantly suprised with the fuel economy. I couldnt ask for a better vehicle, for thousands less than some of its competitors.