1995 GMC Safari awd from North America - Comments

I've owned this vehicle for about a month, I have replaced the idler arms, rear shocks, soon wiper motor, soon heater blower (front)

I want to say, that after owning a 1990 s-10 blazer, I decided to purchase a used 1992 RWD chevy astro, mostly because the Blazer was so reliable with over 200K on it. i knew the Astro was built on the S-10 basics. I was wrong. my 1992 van developed an engine knock at 150K, replaced knock sensor, plugs/wires/timing etc. with no avail. Lots of little things constantly went wrong with this van... so I sold it. Having faith that this was the one van with constant need of service, i purchased a 1995 GMC Safari with only 88K. I am starting to see a trend... In one month since purchase, I've replaced the idler arms (done on the 1992 as well),rear shocks, window motor, soon I must replace the front blower motor, (I have to hit it to get it to run),the wiper motor, the intermittent feature makes the wipers go crazy.. (however, I read a fix for that on these postings!).These vehicles seem to have high maintenance! I have to say that GM has their philosophy right behind the Astro/Safari. I HATE minivans, and these are the only ones I would own. They give me plenty of room for the kids, hauling loads, power for towing, and the looks and the 4WD of a truck.

It's a shame they seem to have poor build quality, and inherent problems with the line!

Will I am sorry you had such a terrible time with your Astro/Safari van. My is great. Almost 200,000 miles and love it. Talk about a snow and ice vehicle. Wow.

I owned a RWD astro for years. I did have to replace the idler arms (common in all vans) and the window motor once, and the heater core once, but other than that- it was a trouble free used vehicle until it hit 160,000 miles, then I needed a tranny. I drove 600 miles a day for work (courier) in it plus a paper route, not to mention I live in the country. I loved how easy it was to drive, very comfortable and had almost enough space for me and my family of 5 and dogs. It usually made it out of my drive, and if it did get stuck when the snow got over the running boards, it was light enough to be pushed out by my boys. It was still running strong at 185,000 miles when a semi totaled it. I would own another in a heart beat if I didn't need a bigger vehicle. I now own a GMC 2500 Vandura full sized conversion van, and idler arms need replaced after 3 yrs of driving it- so no complaints- as I consider it usual maintence on vans. In my full size I do go through brakes more ofter (heavier vehicle) and much more gas, but that is the trade off you accept when driving a large van. There was just no way to fit all the collies I needed in the astro van for a show- that's why I bought the larger one.