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Used 2002 GMC Safari Consumer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
29 reviews

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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2002 Safari, so we've included reviews for other years of the Safari since its last redesign.

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Pros
Cons
4.25 out of 5 stars

Very Good Mini-Van... Great Value!

HeatherB, 06/11/2004
2002 GMC Safari SLE Rwd 3dr Minivan (4.3L 6cyl 4A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great family vehicle. Reliable and comfortable.

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2.75 out of 5 stars

Versatile, But Unreliable

Joe V., 08/23/2005
2001 GMC Safari SLE Rwd 3dr Minivan (4.3L 6cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The Safari is arguably the most versatile vehicle on the market. No other vehicle can carry cargo, 8 passengers and occasionally tow a trailer. I did all of the above with my Safari and it was great. Unfortunately, the Safari was not as reliable as I expected. During the 4 years I owned it, I had to replace the transmission, power lock actuators, vacuum diaphram, rear heat control, dashboard switches, mass air flow sensor, exhaust system and give it a complete tune-up. I also had the interior carpet replaced along with the weatherstripping because water leaked in from the dutch doors. I was so disappointed in the quality of the Safari that i traded it in and bought a 2005 Ford E-150

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2 out of 5 stars

Quite the vehicle in its prime! Up to 100,000?

Ron Snopek, 06/28/2017
2001 GMC Safari SLE AWD 3dr Minivan (4.3L 6cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

It has an excellent transmission! Maybe someone else replaced it. I paid $5000@108,000 miles for my Safari in 2012 and in 5 years and 32,000 miles it has nickeled and dimed me for $9,570 total in repairs (of the receipts that I kept) not including oil changes. 8 times I was towed and misspent $1,175 of that total for tune-ups, sensors, distributer caps, etc. when it turned out to be a loose wire in a harness, which needed to be replaced, of course. Those repair guys loved me. I had to replace the head gasket, fuel pump, rear differential swap-out, brakes (twice), oil cooler lines, power steering hoses, ABS module, the door handle broke off, mufflers, exhaust system and cat converter, front sway bar and links, EGR valve, and the windshield leaked so I bought a new one--that was a minor expense. Now my '01 Safari has a bad ABS wheel sensor and the dome light defeat button is shorting out. The vehicle is worth $1,500 after I have the wheel sensor replaced. It burns no smoke, however, and has 190hp@only 4,400rpm and 250lbs of torque @ only 2800rpm. Mine sat 7 people a few times. It's junk!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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4.75 out of 5 stars

I LOVE my Safari!

Happy Safari Owner, 08/27/2010
2001 GMC Safari SLE Rwd 3dr Minivan (4.3L 6cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I have nothing but good things to say about this van. Maybe I just got lucky with my particular vehicle, but I have had to put nothing but tires on this thing! I bought this 2001 SLE in April of 2009 and it had 120K miles already, so I brought it by my mechanic's shop and it passed with flying colors. It's now over a year and 25K miles later, and I had to put tires on it. Runs strong with 145K miles, no smoke, plenty of power, handles wonderfully, very comfortable for my bad back with 4 herniated discs, and I use it almost every weekend to haul a large amount of musical gear to the stage. I really don't understand why they are disc'd, but a 2011 or 2012 return would be VERY SMART!

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2.13 out of 5 stars

2001 General Mistake Concieved

Burnt, 12/29/2003
2001 GMC Safari SLE AWD 3dr Minivan (4.3L 6cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This vehicle spent more time in the garage being fixed than on the road.Seventeen times in just over two years.Brakes warping,bad tires,water leaks around the seals,broken receiver on seatbelt (driver's),paint peeling on the plastic bumper in circular patterns,electric lock actuator burned out(passenger side),unbalanced tires from the factory one that was replaced due to excessive radial sidewall runout,doors misaligned from the factory,sidepanel on seat broke twice because of plastic rivet mounts,and this is some of the problems I experienced in a two year time frame. This dealer gave me a loaner car once in seventeen trips!!!Find your own way to work.

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