Astrovan vs Caravan?
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i know i have one lol
It really comes down to what you need more...
- An enclosed S-10 with rear seats
- A large FWD car with a 3rd row
Personally, if I was doing any amount of towing, I'd feel much better about using the Astro. It just has a more stout engine/drivetrain/platform all the way through. It's built to be used like a truck.
In my old neighborhood in Charlotte, one of my neighbors who is a satellite dish installer is an Astro fanatic. At one point I think there was a total of five Astros/Safaris at his house in various conditions. The oldest, a 1995 (had the old style dash), was always loaded down with tools and such and never seemed to have any issues. He drove it daily. His other vehicles were a newer Corvette, newer Passat, and a newer 7 Series BMW. I am sure he could have bought an Express or something if he wanted, but the Astros seem to be his hands down favorite.
One thing to remember about the Astro too, is while the short snout + RWD may be hard to work on, many major components are shared with millions of other vehicles. You will be able to get parts for the 4.3L/4L60E until the end of time.
- An enclosed S-10 with rear seats
- A large FWD car with a 3rd row
Personally, if I was doing any amount of towing, I'd feel much better about using the Astro. It just has a more stout engine/drivetrain/platform all the way through. It's built to be used like a truck.
In my old neighborhood in Charlotte, one of my neighbors who is a satellite dish installer is an Astro fanatic. At one point I think there was a total of five Astros/Safaris at his house in various conditions. The oldest, a 1995 (had the old style dash), was always loaded down with tools and such and never seemed to have any issues. He drove it daily. His other vehicles were a newer Corvette, newer Passat, and a newer 7 Series BMW. I am sure he could have bought an Express or something if he wanted, but the Astros seem to be his hands down favorite.
One thing to remember about the Astro too, is while the short snout + RWD may be hard to work on, many major components are shared with millions of other vehicles. You will be able to get parts for the 4.3L/4L60E until the end of time.
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For towing, RWD is a huge advantage, especially considering the transmission is a weak spot on nearly all FWD minivans. In your shoes, I'd go with the Astro.
Astro, hands down.
Since you're looking at the Astro, you may as well throw the Aerostar into the mix.
We had one and it was a great vehicle, needing almost nothing over the thirteen years and 176K we used it.
A more functional and lighter RWD vehicle than the Astro, with a less gimmicky dash and interior, along with your choice of two good engines (three, if you run across a rare 4 cyl).
The last Aero was a 1997, so it might be hard to find a good one.
There is, incidentally, no problem with RWD in snow on decent tires.
A little weight in the back helps as well.
We had one and it was a great vehicle, needing almost nothing over the thirteen years and 176K we used it.
A more functional and lighter RWD vehicle than the Astro, with a less gimmicky dash and interior, along with your choice of two good engines (three, if you run across a rare 4 cyl).
The last Aero was a 1997, so it might be hard to find a good one.
There is, incidentally, no problem with RWD in snow on decent tires.
A little weight in the back helps as well.
I have a soft spot for the Astro/Safari. My dad was one of the engineers for it and I started working on the line as a temporary worker paying for my college. I was later hired into management as a line supervisor and watched the plant close. The only reason that van was discontinued was because GM did not want to spend the money for it to meet the side impact standards that went into effect in 2006.
The Astro and Caravan are apples and oranges and really not comparable. One does people better (caravan) and the other does work better (Astro).
The Astro and Caravan are apples and oranges and really not comparable. One does people better (caravan) and the other does work better (Astro).
I have a soft spot for Astro's too: my parents had an '87. While I'd call it "gutless" today, it was used to tow a 23' camper on a number of occasions. Pretty sure it was maxed out doing that; it explains why it started chugging the oil at 100kmiles (that or the plugged cat). In went a rebuild at 127k (with rebuilt transmission too). I forget when the odo quit, but we estimate that it went about 250k total before we gave it away. It was still running good, rear end pinion had it though; and the next owner apparently trashed the transmission in no time (I strongly suspect user error).
What gets me is that poor thing lived on the coast of Maine from '90 to something like '01. Light surface rust on the front bumper was the only real damage; underside really wasn't that crusty.
What gets me is that poor thing lived on the coast of Maine from '90 to something like '01. Light surface rust on the front bumper was the only real damage; underside really wasn't that crusty.
JTK
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Originally Posted By: GMBoy
The Astro and Caravan are apples and oranges and really not comparable. One does people better (caravan) and the other does work better (Astro).
That's a good way to put it.
I know my employer used them for service vehicles for a long time. Both RWD and AWD versions. Our Techs would tend to over extend their capabilities, so they tended to not hold-up well.
I always liked to drive RWD style vans, but you think a FWD van is hard to service under the hood? Astros sucked like any full-framed, RWD van. Used, they tend to be under-maintained, fluid leaking beats due to this.
Joel
The Astro and Caravan are apples and oranges and really not comparable. One does people better (caravan) and the other does work better (Astro).
That's a good way to put it.
I know my employer used them for service vehicles for a long time. Both RWD and AWD versions. Our Techs would tend to over extend their capabilities, so they tended to not hold-up well.
I always liked to drive RWD style vans, but you think a FWD van is hard to service under the hood? Astros sucked like any full-framed, RWD van. Used, they tend to be under-maintained, fluid leaking beats due to this.
Joel
After a bunch of searching it appears that the tow package for Caravans involved an external transmission oil cooler and leveling shocks, and perhaps some other things. Best I can tell, if it is using just the typical in-radiator transmission cooler, and it has normal diameter rear shocks (around 1.5" diameter) then it does not have the towing package.
That said, I'm not sure if anything else (such as springs or brakes) changed with the tow package inclusion. I'm guessing below 3,000lb just an external cooler (which is likely recommended in general for these transmissions) and treating it gently is likely all it needs; probably crazy to do 3k or more though. 2k might be a good limit. Stow and Go models might not be best, as the rear seat adds lots of weight (meaning that much more to cut into GCVW).
I am reading some conflicting reports on the 41TE 4speed auto; apparently a lot of the bum rap comes from needing ATF+3 (now superseded by ATF+4)? And probably from needing much more frequent ATF changes in general (heavy FWD, hard on fluid, etc). There is something also about how the transmission has some fail-safe modes where it goes into 2nd gear (for various failures and reasons), and that can be misinterpreted as "blown'd up". Doesn't sound like transmission replacement is too bad; $2k for rebuild plus $1k installation, give or take, might be a ballpark estimate.
I think the 3.3L V6 is well rated, the 3.8L V6 apparently may burn oil--but is technically more powerful. The 3.8 used taller final drive ratio, so they can get similar mpg. I'm seeing on fuelly.com 20-24mpg for averages.
That said, I'm not sure if anything else (such as springs or brakes) changed with the tow package inclusion. I'm guessing below 3,000lb just an external cooler (which is likely recommended in general for these transmissions) and treating it gently is likely all it needs; probably crazy to do 3k or more though. 2k might be a good limit. Stow and Go models might not be best, as the rear seat adds lots of weight (meaning that much more to cut into GCVW).
I am reading some conflicting reports on the 41TE 4speed auto; apparently a lot of the bum rap comes from needing ATF+3 (now superseded by ATF+4)? And probably from needing much more frequent ATF changes in general (heavy FWD, hard on fluid, etc). There is something also about how the transmission has some fail-safe modes where it goes into 2nd gear (for various failures and reasons), and that can be misinterpreted as "blown'd up". Doesn't sound like transmission replacement is too bad; $2k for rebuild plus $1k installation, give or take, might be a ballpark estimate.
I think the 3.3L V6 is well rated, the 3.8L V6 apparently may burn oil--but is technically more powerful. The 3.8 used taller final drive ratio, so they can get similar mpg. I'm seeing on fuelly.com 20-24mpg for averages.
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Ok, did more reading. In '08 the 3.8 got the 6spd auto, the 4.0 I think came out at the same time. But the 4.0 uses a timing belt, so I'm not sure if anyone really wants to look at that model. The 3.3 stuck it out with the 4spd auto.
In 2011 the 3.6L replaced all the engines, and the 6 speed auto is now also the only choice. Jury's out on the 6 speed longevity, but so far, few complaints. The 3.6 OTOH, while it is smooth and powerful, does have a few complaints about a head(?).
As I'm not sure if I want to buy an older vehicle in order to repair it, I'm starting to narrow down towards only a few years old--or flat out new. New in a base model maybe; or maybe a 3.8/6spd auto. Given how there are a few complaints about the 3.6L I'm not sure if I would want to buy used. If I'm going to take out a loan I want to maximize my miles/dollar, and minimize my shop time.
In 2011 the 3.6L replaced all the engines, and the 6 speed auto is now also the only choice. Jury's out on the 6 speed longevity, but so far, few complaints. The 3.6 OTOH, while it is smooth and powerful, does have a few complaints about a head(?).
As I'm not sure if I want to buy an older vehicle in order to repair it, I'm starting to narrow down towards only a few years old--or flat out new. New in a base model maybe; or maybe a 3.8/6spd auto. Given how there are a few complaints about the 3.6L I'm not sure if I would want to buy used. If I'm going to take out a loan I want to maximize my miles/dollar, and minimize my shop time.
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Plymouth grand caravan
chrysler town and country
dodge grand caravan/ caravan
3.3 is a grat engine and they ride very well the transmissions 41te get a bad rap they have a tcm problem and if not reprogrammed they have problems.
I see many of them with over 200,000 miles on them
Hmm, still thinking about this. If I avoid '08-10 models (as per someone else), I get into the region where it has 100k or so, and costs maybe $8k. Versus $20k+ new. Seems like, if the expected lifespan is 200k, give or take (and for me, living in the rustbelt, it's not far from reality, 200k / 10 years), the depreciation is about the same. But you get into repairs. And if the TCM programming can damage the transmission... I'm finding it hard to justify used, if the '08-10 models are to be avoided.
I'm not sure I can justify buying well used, as I'll want to take it on long trips from the get-go.
Plymouth grand caravan
chrysler town and country
dodge grand caravan/ caravan
3.3 is a grat engine and they ride very well the transmissions 41te get a bad rap they have a tcm problem and if not reprogrammed they have problems.
I see many of them with over 200,000 miles on them
Hmm, still thinking about this. If I avoid '08-10 models (as per someone else), I get into the region where it has 100k or so, and costs maybe $8k. Versus $20k+ new. Seems like, if the expected lifespan is 200k, give or take (and for me, living in the rustbelt, it's not far from reality, 200k / 10 years), the depreciation is about the same. But you get into repairs. And if the TCM programming can damage the transmission... I'm finding it hard to justify used, if the '08-10 models are to be avoided.
I'm not sure I can justify buying well used, as I'll want to take it on long trips from the get-go.
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