Need a minivan so what do you think about a Chevy venture?

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Need a minivan so what do you think about a Chevy venture?

Not new.
Looking at some used ones. What can you guys tell me about them?

Venture VS Astro.
1-fuel economy
2-durability
thanks
David

 

[zeus87gn]

I have the Pontiac Montana, same vehicle only in Pontiac trim. 3.4l V6, auto, air, CC, rear air, and some other etc's. It has had some problems, but overall it has been a pretty good vehicle. I bought it with 50,011 miles back in 01 and it now has 198k miles and still get's fairly good gas mileage. 20-22 city, 25-27 hwy. I run a steady diet of preimum fuel in it and change the oil almost religiously between 3 and 4k miles.

Beyond general maintanence, I have only had to do the following:
Alternator (of course, it's a GM)
Intake manifold gasket (supposedly a problem with these motors) only once
waterpump only once

This weekend, I am actually finishing some preventitive maintanence, because I feel it is time to do these things. I prefer to be anal about my vehicles because I need them to stay on the road.
Rear shocks
Front struts, bearings (these were needed!), tie rods, lower control arms. I decided to do the arms because the front bushings were about 20% separated and the ball joints were tired. New ones from GM were only $130/ea so it was a no brainer for me.

Radiator, as it developed a crack in the end cap about a month ago, radiator hoses and low coolant sensor as it was giving me a false light on my dash. Found out it was that orange coolant sh** GM loves so much caked all over it, but I replaced it anyway.

Only other problem I can think of is when the cabin air filter gets clogged it makes the AC sweat into the carpet. This causes the water to eventually puddle into these areas right below the door under the trim. It wouldn't be a big deal if the GM engineers hadn't run the wiring harness there. I had to replace about 10 corroded fcty splices on both sides. That made my rear air not blow cold. Change that filter every so often and it shouldn't be a problem.

Check to see if it has had the power door recall and the corrected transmission program in the computer.

HTH

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Thanks
Any one else

I need a lot of input as this will probably be the first FWD vehicle I own.
Talk to me people.
David

 

[SloGN]

we have one at work as a service van. So far it has been a great van. it has 85k on it and it has done a bunch of starting and stopping and the brakes are still in good shape. i drive the piss out of it and it still get 450 miles on a tank of fuel.

so far it's had to have a battery and door pin bushings on the driver side but hell that thing has had to door opened and closed fore that a van with 200k on it.

 

[turbofish38]

I've never owned one but I sell parts to all the rental fleets down here. Only two things come to mind.
1.Make sure the intake gasket has been upgraded with the current design. I dont know how to tell if its been changed. Shoot me the VIN in a PM and I can run the warranty history on it.
2. The motors and cables on the power sliding doors wear out rather fast. They are big dollar items.Anywhere from $700-$1700 MSRP depending on the year. Make sure they work if it has the option.
Hit or miss on the alternators.
Another problem area are the wheel bearings. Sealed units with the ABS sensors built in. Some last forever and some dont.

 

[Dr.drivability]

veture

Let's not forget the ever pricey a/c condenser or rear a/c line corrosion problems. The condenser will leak from a torn mounting tab on the lower pass side. just look for a dark/ wet spot in that area. The GM replacement intake gaskets are still bull$hit. Felpro makes a steel / rubber one that is the answer! They all have problems but I sure as heck wouln't opt for a caravan!!! I'd stick with the GM.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

you guys scared the sh*t out of me

i think i will look for another astro RWD and call it a day.

 

[chopped39]

I work on a lot of chevy ventures. intake issues are the norm on these. use felpro permadry. problem solved. lower control arm bushing problem no biggie bushings are about 10 dollars from dealer or napa you dont have to replace whole arm if you dont want to. the condenser and ac line problems suck. updated condenser. the rear lines suck because they send them in 4 sections and you have to have special tool to join together. rack and pinion likes to leak . if you lived near me i would say buy one because i need the money.the worst part is if you have to replace motor. the only way is out the bottom with frame and trans.i have seen mechanics cut core support and and pull motor out the top and then weld back in.they should shoot anyone that does that. as for the astro van permadry gasket for that one to. oil cooler lines .idler arms . motor comes out the bottom on those to unless you cut core support and pull it out the front and gm has a kit to do that. well good luck with whatever you buy.

 

[BandAid]

I have a Chevy Uplander,and we really dislike it,the AC is terrible in the summer and the heat is just as bad in the winter........Very disappointed with this van

 

[Renthorin]

My wife has a 2002 Venture (I do NOT have a minivan...let's get that straight)

She really likes it. The van is her daily transportation and "Husky mover" so it gets abused quite a bit.

has 90k on it now. Just replaced the original brakes and it still has the original tires on it.

I have not had to do the intake manifold replacement but my bro did on his Montanna.

Ours is a no thrill model...no power doors....nothing fancy..just the usual power options.

AC blows cold but the vents do not push very much air it seems. I got rid of the little in-cab filter plate behind the glove box. It was more of a restriction and mouse nest than a benefit.

We go camping in it and live on a very rough dirt road and it is doing just fine.

MPG is about 25 on the highway but my wife drives like she is at the INDY 500.

I like the 25 gallon gas tank for long hauls.

 

[SloGN]

from what it looks like there is a hit or miss with these giving the normal and abnormal problems.

If i was to get one for myself i would get one that had just a few options.

A/C power windows/locks and a nice radio/cd player.

the auto sliding door is just a accident waiting to happen when it finally breaks.

like i posted up top my company that i work for has one for me to drive as a service truck.

I drive the wheels off that thing and it has around 85k on it and the brakes are still good. it's had to have a battery and door pin bushings.

The A/C will freeze you out and the heat will cook you too.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

My wife has a 2002 Venture (I do NOT have a minivan...let's get that straight)


I like the 25 gallon gas tank for long hauls.

1-yeahh it’s for my wife too!!!!!!!!!!

2-thats the only reason I was looking at the Venture VS another Astro.
My astro has 234k and the only big problem was the spider injector that to my surprise was easy to replace, plus the engine is a SSBC.

Thanks guy for all of your help.
At this point I will look for a Venture with

1-super low miles
2-no rear ac
3-no power sliding doors

And I will also look for an Astro

Again thanks for all the help
And please keep posting the pros & cons on the venture

 

[SilverSleeper]

I will be one to throw my hat in the ring for the Astro. You already know that over the long haul, they are built well, relatively easy to fix, and parts are easy to find. The only major problem with mine was the fuel pump, (and almost all Astro pumps die around the 100-110k mark.)
I had my AWD 96 and loved it till I wrecked it. It was great here in the snow of upstate NY, anything I had to fix was fairly simple, and like you said, its basicaly a 350 with 2 cylinders lopped off. You can even drop a 350 in there with some work.

 

[Dr.drivability]

I Think Your Headed In The Right Direction!

 

[LETHAL-6]

I dont know if your only looking at the venture van. I know that its not a GM product, But I bought my wife a 1997 TownAndCountry LXI( thats what she wanted) and have not had any problems other than to put a fuel pump,plugs and wires, and tires. and it has almost 180K now. I bought it used with alittle under 100K. No engine problems just oil changes. Hope this helps and you find what your looking for. Good Luck

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Well how’s this for bad luck.
Tuesday- My 234k mile astro starts going put put put and I barely make it home.
Thursday-My 234k mile astro starts and get going put it turns off 20 times and lucky for me it turns on 21 times so I do make it home.
Friday- My 234k mile astro doesn’t start so I leave alone because if I tried to get it going and it didn’t get going I probably would have burned it.
Saturday- My 234k mile astro doesn’t start again but this time I expected it not to start.
So I tow it to my mechanic/friend
The spider injector was clogged and the fuel lines were leaking inside of the manifold.
But its back on the road.:biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[ChrisCairns]

I just happened to be reading Consumer Report this evening so when I read this post I looked up the Venture.

CR says, based on 2006 survey of Venture owners, it's a bad bet (worse than average reliability), plus it's one of the vehicles to avoid because of more than average problems.

 

[SGRIM]

I sold many of them. The intake gasket is a common on many of the chevy vehicles. Other than that they are pretty tough. Long as you don't buy a Ford Windstar you will be okay!