Astra Camper - Good Idea?

[cyclist]

There is an astro camper conversion for sale near me, 04 awd with 130k miles. It is not a pop-up just a convertible bench/bed some cabinets and some insulation. I am thinking this would be a fun vehicle for short mostly 1-2 night trips for skiing, mtbing and just getting out of the city to pretend I am still overlanding in south america.
Anyone have one of these and have any input on these uses? How do they drive on longer trips, I am 6'3" and find many vehicles cramped. Does anyone make an awning that could be easily and removably added to the van to increase the usefulness in our often wet weather?
thanks

 

[ober27]

I'm lookin foreword to reading peoples responses. I'm planning on going to look at an Astro on Monday. I am 6'2" and am curious how much room they have. We've been looking at some full size vans to replace my Toyota pickup. The truck has served us well, but as my wife says it is past its prime. We are also ready to take a break from sleeping on the ground and not wanting camper. I would use this for a daily driver and travel rig.

 

[Stroverlander]

Try the search function, you should find what you're looking for.

I've driven more than a few vehicles all over the country and don't find the Astro to be any worse than anything else after many long days of driving. Yes, the footwells are a little cramped but not really that bad as there is still room to stretch your left leg out past the brake pedal. Ditching the passenger rated tires for an LT type tire and quality shocks (Bilstein HD) go a long way towards improving ride quality.

An aftermarket awning (ARB, Tepui, etc) would easily mount to the factory roof rack, if attached.

 

[ihatemybike]

I'm 6'2" and an Astro fanatic. I love my vans and have done many long trips with them, the last being a three week trip to Alaska and back with the husky to pick up my wife in Homer. We slept in the van aside from a couple nights. Very comfortable and rugged vans.

 

[cyclist]

The built van sold, maybe I will look into building one up if I find a deal. I like the idea of a comfortable to sleep in vehicle that can seat 4 for road trips, handle forest roads and still get 20ish MPG. The astro seems like one of very few vehicles that hit all those criteria.

 

[Herbie]

Not to be too much of a downer, but from another Astro owner who's doing a build, I feel compelled to offer a counterpoint or two:

You will most likely NOT see 20mpg in an Astro. Sorry. I chose my Astro with the same hope, but that poor little V6 is just working too hard to return great mileage. If you have a lightly loaded 2wd and drive slowly on freeways, maybe. A packed AWD driven at 70? More like 15, tops.

Also, you said seat 4, but how many do you plan to sleep? I ask because during my build I've been repeatedly frustrated by the length, in particular. Trying to keep a 6' bed and still have room for everything else has been a challenge, and that's just the "lower" bunk. I had to add a pop top like T.Low's to sleep 3-4. Headroom also continually an issue... Despite similar external dimensions, I'm always surprised at the differences in internal room on an astro vs a vanagon...


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[Hondaslayer]

15?

Might as well just go to a short wheelbase full size van with those #'s.

 

[Herbie]

You're not wrong. Some days, I wished I had. There are plenty of reasons to choose the Astro though, so it depends on what your goals are.

AWD Astro/Safaris are easy to lift and easy to convert to true "light duty" 2-spd 4WD. 1500 Express could be had in AWD, but they're more rare, and Zuren's here is one of the few I've seen with a 4wd conversion. 4x4 conversions on Fords are a MUCH bigger deal ($$$), but also end up at a much more capable off-roader. So decide on your goals and make your choice.

 

[Hondaslayer]

True,

Cost and safety are both factors as well (Astro / Safari being cheaper and safer) plus factory tinted windows :sombrero:

Your build is pretty much what has the wife sold on a Safari. For some reason my brain is happy with GMC but won't let me buy a Chevy lol

 

[Stroverlander]

Stock AWD Astro with 3.73 gears, fully loaded I used to see 18 mpg highway and that was cruising 80 mph plus. Lifted with 31" tires and rtt I routinely see 15-16 mpg.

A short wheelbase E-series is still almost two feet longer than Astro which could be taken into consideration (parking, turning radius, etc) and only rwd.

 

[bdog1]

My old school 7.3 diesel E350 4x4 gets 16-17 around town. A little better hwy. it did more before I swapped to more sensible tires from 33 1250's. Owning an old diesel is sort of a hobby though and fuel is 60c more.


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