1996 Chevrolet Astro Minivan

Good van

by billy97477 on Feb 4, 2010
Vehicle: 1996 Chevrolet Astro LT 3dr Minivan AWD

217,000 miles and still runs great. a lot less problems than I would expect for a vehicle with so many miles. Good for camping. Can fit a cot and ice chest in the van comfortably. Rear cigarette lighter jack is good for my dvd player while camping. So is the rear heat that heats up pretty fast on the coldest of nights. With no seats in my quad even fits in it. Awd works still and does great in the snow and mud.

Clear free of this lemon!

by Heidi on Jan 13, 2009
Vehicle: 1996 Chevrolet Astro LS 3dr Minivan

This van has been nothing but a money pit from the day we bought it used. We have had to replace the water pump, full transmission, repair AC, CV joints on front end, muffler fell off, battery, alternator and starter (all in the last three years). The driver side door hinge is falling off and the windows does not work. Horribly noisy on the inside. Save your money for a Toyota!

11 year old astro van

by Kalei Baker on Jul 19, 2007
Vehicle: 1996 Chevrolet Astro 3dr Minivan

My friend gave this van to me 12 months ago, it had to be towed 3 times and it took about $900+ of repairs to keep it running. Ignition coil burned out = $280 repair. Spark plug wire shorted out = $190 repair. Fuel pump failed = $420 repair. Any repairs under the hood will be high labor due to the design that makes it difficult to access (via panel between passenger and driver leg area. The passenger exterior door handle broke off. When it runs, the 4.0L engine is moderately powerful. At 11 years old and 135k miles, repairs should be expected. I am selling the van, ASAP. I am much more satisfied with my Ford Excursion with 7.3L turbo diesel, which can also seat 8.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Worst vehicle we have ever

by Elby62 on Feb 17, 2006
Vehicle: 1996 Chevrolet Astro LS 3dr Minivan AWD

We paid $10,000 for this in 2002 and it had 50,000 miles on it. For the price and mileage you would expect a decent vehicle. However this van broke down constantly. It has cost us thousands extra in repairs, including a new transmission. Broke down out of state leaving us stranded hundreds of miles from home. Twice. Don't buy this van! A bad, bad, bad vehicle. Horrible experience to own. The torsion bar broke on it, twice. Same thing happened to my friend. The torsion bar broke while I was driving on a crowded interstate at 70mph, on a bridge, with no place to pull over. All my children were in the van. We are lucky that I did not panic and that we didn't wreck. Horrible!

Lots of room.

by thedriver on Aug 5, 2004
Vehicle: 1996 Chevrolet Astro LT 3dr Minivan AWD

We purchased an Astro AWD because we needed a 4WD and a van. The van drives well in slippery conditions. We have had it in the garage several times for fuel, tranny and brake problems. Our Astro has several engine oil leaks.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good for a larger family

by Familyof6 on Feb 29, 2004
Vehicle: 1996 Chevrolet Astro LS 3dr Minivan

Although we had read pretty bad reviews about the Astro in Consumer Reports, we have had great luck with ours. We didn't have many options in choosing a minivan since we needed something that could tow our boat, and the Astro is the only one other than GMC Safari that can handle it. We have a number of repairs, two of them pricey, but the extended warranty we bought at Carmax covered everything. Overall, this has been a great van for our family of 4 kids with room to spare for friends to come along. We found ours to be worth the price. If anything, the low CR rating makes a used Astro very affordable.