I am looking at buying one of these in near future, but wanted to get your opinion what are the most common issues with these? Is head gasket, transmission and those things common for Asto/Safari? Other serious problems?

Looking at AWD model.

Thank you!

 

Good choice .... many owners love them and keep them well maintained. That's what you should look for when deciding to buy. I have had six Astros .... because they are reliable, comfortable and versatile. Every vehicle has it's own history and wears down differently. The 4.3 L motor is very reliable ..... although I stupidly burned one up and have had nothing but problems with a GM factory rebuilt motor that wasn't done properly .... cost about $10K in repairs so far. Get a "Car Fax" check before buying .... and check with GM for any repair history. Good luck.

 

I have a 96 astro. Great service van. Prepare to replace a fuel pump at some point. I've also replaced the distibutor cap. Keep the oil changed. At 207k miles and counting......

 

I finally got the Astro few weeks ago now - I am very satisfied! It has about 80k miles/130km on it, runs great. Had few issues to fix, but now it's all good

 

Has anyone noticed excessive distributor drive gear wear over time? I have two Astros, 2000 and 2002, and both had to have distributors replaced at 150+K miles. For those miles I don't think it's outrageous, but I was curious if anyone else had noticed this. Since it's the basic design for the 4.3L V6, Did the 350 V8 have any similar problems?

 

I have had 6 Astros, never had this particular problem. One is at 149K, one 209K and had an '88 I drove to over 200K. Thanks for the 'heads up' though .... good luck.

 

I'm at 328k all I have done to mine is plugs and ignition control module and runs great