I agree with Redzed... The GM minivans are freaking junk, and as a corporation, they should be ashamed of them. They should have spent the rebadging budget on one vehicle, so they might have had a halfway competitive van, instead of 3 totally uncompetitive ones.

Of course, its very difficult to unearth that point through the haze of GM hatred that permeates his posts...

 

Exactly!

 

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it - had GM updated the M-van in the same way they've continued to refresh the G-van (full-size), they'd own a nice little piece of the market. No, they would not be racking-up Caravan-like numbers, but it'd be a steady source of income.

 

If I'm not mistaken, I think Astro/Safari are the oldest vehicles still on the market today. Aside from a front-end freshening and interior makeover, pretty much the entire vehicle dates back to 1985. GM has certainly gotten their money's worth out of that design.

 

Id say it would be Fords panther cars...

 

You guys crack me up. Let me see a show of hands who have actually put miles on these Mini-Vans. Yes they're not Cadillac quality, but they are really nice.

I've put 200k on a 2000 Venture in the last 4 years (use it for work) and let me tell you it has held up well (and quite a bit of abuse around the steel mills). Oil, tires, and brakes are all thats ever been replace. Damn alternators still the original. I think on my Camaro it bit the dust short of 100k.

To say these vehicles are junk is a statement based solely on OPINION. Looks are looks are Opinion. I think the Interiors are nice, very utilitarian.

It also has plenty of power. 3.4 V6 I believe. A couple years ago being a dork I decided to race this retarded Honda with a Wing on the back of it because it looked so gay. To my suprise I got him out of the hole and he actually never caught up, LOL. (Took him forever to shift). He'd gain, and then fall back then gain, then fall back, rofl. Idiots or maybe I am for racing with a VAN, hehe.

I would buy one of these in a Heartbeat if I didn't want to have a 4x4 SUV that I could pull a boat with. I'm sold on them. I don't understand the bashing when you people don't even drive Mini-Vans???

 

I generally don't get into the relative merits of Mini-Vans. But, (you knew there was a but ) my mom has a 2001 venture with well over 100k, it has performed flawlessly for her. In fact, it has been so good, she wants to get a new one, She likes it so much, she remembered to get ROUND tires on it!

Me: So what kind of tires did you get on the van?
Mom: Round ones!

Actual conversation with Mom-Circa '03

 

I was really talking about vehicles that have been essentially unchanged for the longest period of time. While the Panther chassis dates back to the 1970s, it's been through some significant upgrades in the interim.

 

I think GM did miss out with the astro van. They really could have had a nice slice of the market. I remember reading that the van has more cargo room than a suburban. It should have continued on with the I-5 and then a diesel down the road.

The hot van right now is the new dodge cargo vans, the mercedes with the diesel, I have been seeing alot of them running around and I wonder if the Post office will pick them up to replace our windstars.