D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
This is the point that I think most people miss, they ask about the reliability of a vehicle that is already accumulated mileage and fatigue.
Reliability of Chevy Astro van AWD
- Thread starter jpowerdiver
- Start date
arlon
Adventurer
What's an AMM?
MOguy
Explorer
You can have a 15 year old reliable vehicle.
The chances of a 15 year old vehicle having an issue is greater than the chances of a brand new vehicle but once you pass a few years any vehicle can have issues.
just like there are newer vehicles that are more reliable than other newer vehicles that are older vehicles that are a lot more reliable than other older vehicles.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
While I agree with what you are saying, calling a 15 year old vehicle "reliable" can be a stretch. Unless it has been meticulously maintained you will be inheriting a host of worn out and fatigued parts.
MOguy
Explorer
In the original post the question is experienced with a Chevy Astro van. Not how reliable that is compared to a new vehicle.
Comparing a new vehicle to use vehicle is like comparing apples to oranges. I don't think there's many people that expect to get to 15 year old vehicle sight unseen and it be as reliable as a new vehicle.
Binky
Member
AMM-Air Mass Meter.
To me, reliability isn't about whether or not little things break, it's whether and where big things break. It's had lots of little issues over the years/.
In the 12 years I've had my Astro, the only thing that ever broke that would stop me from getting home was when the trans finally went out this spring...at 255,000 miles.
And it still got my wife home and then to the shop...
To me, reliability isn't about whether or not little things break, it's whether and where big things break. It's had lots of little issues over the years/.
In the 12 years I've had my Astro, the only thing that ever broke that would stop me from getting home was when the trans finally went out this spring...at 255,000 miles.
And it still got my wife home and then to the shop...
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
The reliability of all vehicles has vastly improved. I believe we all can agree on that.
From my perspective the reliability of ALL vehicles took a HUGE jump from ALL manufacturer's during the model years 2000 to 2005. During these model years virtually every manufacturer either offering a new name & modern designed vehicle, a clean sheet redesign of their current name plate vehicles OR they incorporated HUGE updates to their currently offered nameplate vehicles.
The result? VASTLY IMPROVED VEHICLE RELIABILITY!
Instead of many vehicles that were originally designed in the 1970's to mid 1980's and updated as the years went by these new vehicles were designed in the mid to late 1990's to early 2000's allowing the manufacturer's to utilize CAD for design, newer engine & transmission technologies, fuel delivery technologies and we certainly cannot forget the safety improvements developed during the 1990's to early 2000's in their vehicle designs.
Many of us still have the love of that old "Vintage" vehicle from our High School days however talk about a piece of JUNQUE when compared to the reliability and drive ability of vehicles from 2000-2005 and it only gets BETTER the newer the vehicle.
YES I know the new vehicles are more complicated and expensive to repair. That's because your backyard repair knowledge skills no longer apply and your too damn cheap to take it to someone that truly does have the knowledge, skills and equipment to DIAGNOSE the problem and REPAIR the vehicle rather than be a "Parts Changer". How soon we forget about changing points and plugs every 5K-10K miles. Oil that sludged up at 3K miles and heaven forbid you ever have to worry about a carburetor again!!!
That's what happens when you get OLD! YOU FORGET how crappy old "Vintage" vehicles really were and only think about the nostalgia they bring to you from the past!
Most jobs people have rarely required a huge change in knowledge or upgrade of skills to continue working at that job therefore most folks have little to no interest in learning new technology. You finally realize your limitations when you get laid off or fired from your current long-term job and find out that your qualifications to get ANY well paying job in the new economy "Left The Station" YEARS AGO when you did not upgrade your personal skills to what employer's were looking for in your field of work TODAY. What you don't know NOW really does SCARE YOU! If you are 50 and above and get laid off now your chances as a whole of replacing that good paying job at the same or greater wage is slim to none!
Compare an ASTRO/SAFARI van from the 1985 and 2005 in regards to reliability as this is what started this conversation. While these vans may look similar that is hardly the situation. Remember the ASTRO/SAFARI was originally designed in the early 1980's and remember what happened to the ASTRO/SAFARI van in 2006.
GONE FOREVER from new car stores as GM chose not to replace or upgrade the Astro/Safari!!!
For what reason's the world may never know!
From my perspective the reliability of ALL vehicles took a HUGE jump from ALL manufacturer's during the model years 2000 to 2005. During these model years virtually every manufacturer either offering a new name & modern designed vehicle, a clean sheet redesign of their current name plate vehicles OR they incorporated HUGE updates to their currently offered nameplate vehicles.
The result? VASTLY IMPROVED VEHICLE RELIABILITY!
Instead of many vehicles that were originally designed in the 1970's to mid 1980's and updated as the years went by these new vehicles were designed in the mid to late 1990's to early 2000's allowing the manufacturer's to utilize CAD for design, newer engine & transmission technologies, fuel delivery technologies and we certainly cannot forget the safety improvements developed during the 1990's to early 2000's in their vehicle designs.
Many of us still have the love of that old "Vintage" vehicle from our High School days however talk about a piece of JUNQUE when compared to the reliability and drive ability of vehicles from 2000-2005 and it only gets BETTER the newer the vehicle.
YES I know the new vehicles are more complicated and expensive to repair. That's because your backyard repair knowledge skills no longer apply and your too damn cheap to take it to someone that truly does have the knowledge, skills and equipment to DIAGNOSE the problem and REPAIR the vehicle rather than be a "Parts Changer". How soon we forget about changing points and plugs every 5K-10K miles. Oil that sludged up at 3K miles and heaven forbid you ever have to worry about a carburetor again!!!
That's what happens when you get OLD! YOU FORGET how crappy old "Vintage" vehicles really were and only think about the nostalgia they bring to you from the past!
Most jobs people have rarely required a huge change in knowledge or upgrade of skills to continue working at that job therefore most folks have little to no interest in learning new technology. You finally realize your limitations when you get laid off or fired from your current long-term job and find out that your qualifications to get ANY well paying job in the new economy "Left The Station" YEARS AGO when you did not upgrade your personal skills to what employer's were looking for in your field of work TODAY. What you don't know NOW really does SCARE YOU! If you are 50 and above and get laid off now your chances as a whole of replacing that good paying job at the same or greater wage is slim to none!
Compare an ASTRO/SAFARI van from the 1985 and 2005 in regards to reliability as this is what started this conversation. While these vans may look similar that is hardly the situation. Remember the ASTRO/SAFARI was originally designed in the early 1980's and remember what happened to the ASTRO/SAFARI van in 2006.
GONE FOREVER from new car stores as GM chose not to replace or upgrade the Astro/Safari!!!
For what reason's the world may never know!
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Binky
Member
We've had a number of conversations about that and my final theory is that with increasing CAFE requirements and the continued popularity of the aging van, meant that GM could not hit the target numbers as the vehicle AT BEST gets 21mpg and more like 17 in reality.
Add in the engineering to update the safety issues, then add to it the cost of the aging Baltimore plant...
On the positive side, the demise of the Astro really led to this explosion of small van-ish utility vehicles being sold now.
Greatest reliability improvements over old cars...fuel injection and electronic ignition! No carbs, no points...
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
Don't forget the OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSION in all it's glorious forms!
What are we up to now about 10 different speeds in an automatic transmission?
TomsBeast
Member
Owned the Astro's brother, 2000 GMC Safari AWD ext, drove it for 100k miles. The viscous coupler went bad, and locked it into full time AWD, eventually tearing the front 3rd member mounts out of the frame crossmember. I repaired the crossmember, removed the front driveshaft, and drove it for another couple years, as a replacement viscous coupler was a dealer item only, and cost over 1 thousand dollars at the time. The 4.3 and trans were both bulletproof through 190k miles, no valvejob, no anything. A couple door handles went bad and had to be replaced, and the wire harnesses inside both the front doors went bad, shorting the door locks and electric windows.
ITTOG
Well-known member
A lot of the responses are quite interesting to read. Most seem to assume that the newer a vehicle is, the more reliable it is. On average this may be true but I can guarantee you it often is not true. My 2018 F150 has been less reliable than my 2007 Toyota tundra with 180,000 miles on it. Luckily neither has left me on the side of the road but the F150 has already been in the shop for repairs and maintenance more than the tundra.
Sorry that this does not address the OP's original question but I felt it was necessary to mention.
Sorry that this does not address the OP's original question but I felt it was necessary to mention.
vintageracer
To Infinity and Beyond!
A 2007 model Toyota TODAY is not at all an "Old Vehicle"! That 2007 Toyota is not even "Average" given the average age of a registered motor vehicle on the road today in 2018 in the USA is almost 12 years old! A 2006 Model Vehicle is average and that "Average Motor Vehicle Age" on the road today continues to rise. By the way this 2018 number is the HIGHEST average age ever for a motor vehicle on the road in the USA and this number continues to climb!
Remember this is the AVERAGE AGE of motor vehicles on the road therefore there are just as many vehicles built before 2006 also on the road today.
Ya I'd say many vehicles produced since the 2000 model year are lot more reliable than vehicles of old!
2017-2018 Dates on this information:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/738667/us-vehicles-projected-age/
https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/6136-average-vehicle-age-in-us-reaching-record-levels
2016 Date on this Automotive News article:
http://www.autonews.com/article/201...erage-age-of-vehicles-on-road-hits-11.6-years
Note the date on this LA Times article. 2015:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ihs-average-car-age-20150729-story.html
Remember this is the AVERAGE AGE of motor vehicles on the road therefore there are just as many vehicles built before 2006 also on the road today.
Ya I'd say many vehicles produced since the 2000 model year are lot more reliable than vehicles of old!
2017-2018 Dates on this information:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/738667/us-vehicles-projected-age/
https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/6136-average-vehicle-age-in-us-reaching-record-levels
2016 Date on this Automotive News article:
http://www.autonews.com/article/201...erage-age-of-vehicles-on-road-hits-11.6-years
Note the date on this LA Times article. 2015:
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ihs-average-car-age-20150729-story.html
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Thanks again for the many forum posts over time and incredible shared details regarding Astro vans.
Have you sold that van?
Is all ok?
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