BlackSport96 said:
We'relooking in the range of cheap or thereabouts...She was lookin at a 93 Aerostar for $1200 to which I said heck no. It needs a lot of work that I don't feel like having to do. I'm looking in the range of 7k or so. We won't be needing it yet for another 5 months so we've got lots of time to look and save up money. We'll be selling the Focus (2000 stick shift, CD, AC, 85k miles, needs some minor cosmetic work), listing at $3500, and I plan on taking out a loan for the remainder. So the final price will vary depending on how much we can save and how much we can get for the Focus. For me the Astro/Safaris vans are rating pretty high on my list. The last generation ones were fairly nice, not high on gadgets, and I know that 4.3 will last pretty similar to our 4.0s....
yes astros are very stout. I love mine, me and bro both drive them for our company trucks. Both of us own 2 of them and some chevy express and gmc savanana. I love the astro. Best overall minivan ever. Cheap as hell to repair, easy to repair, tows like a truck, it has more interior volume than a suburban if you can believe that. They made about 100,000-200,000 of them every year since 1985. Much like the xj it was a brilliant design that lasted years (21 in this case) one mid cycle refresh. Parts are compatible, junkyard easy to find. My local pick n pull usually has over a dozen astros. Mine is reliable mine is a 1993 with 226,000 miles, engine stock never touched, did have to rebuild the tranny last year. 4.3 chebby is a great engine, 4l60e smooth shifting good tranny, rear end is up to the minivna task.
only down side is the seats in the passenger vans arent fancy flip and fold, or stow and go or something like the new honda or new dodge. But with the 27 grand you save i think you can bust out the ratchet wrench once or twice a year if need be.
Its a much better van than the aeostar, and you can get awd, and it will do well on sandy trails etc. There is a site for them much like naxja though not as good.
http://www.astrosafari.com/
and you cant lift one a few inches for a few hundred and fit 31's on them if thats you bag baby.
http://www.overlandvans.com/
i just ordered some lift shackeles and a two inch body spacer lift and shackle lift (well sub frame really, shares the front sub frame with b bodys aka bonneville caprice olds 88 etc big bodies from the early 80s) My astro has so many ladders, steel shelves and tools in it it has sagged about 3 inches. I got a lift just to get it back to stock.
you can fix your astro for cheap to nothing. It has my endorsement, its much much much stouter than any of the fwd vans
best of all you have a choice of $2500 low to no rust good runners to high teens brand new awd loaded with leather on star and the works. Shouldnt be hard to find a mint one on you budget.