1992 Chevrolet Astro Van Safari Explorer XLT Conversion: Regular Car Reviews

[@lazarpeuraca9618]

It's getting progressively harder to watch these videos in a non-empty house without the headphones.

[@jfruser]

Indeed. Degeneracy as a spice, mmm-kay. Degeneracy as one of the main courses, a bit too much. OTOH, most the POMO writers RCR channels were degenerate kiddie fiddlers.

[@gilbertosantos2806]

As it should be

[@likes2spooge]

I also get harder everytime I watch an rcr video.

[@likethehotels]

Feature, not a bug.

[@michaelhughes3302]

@@likethehotels Best served up when you feel the need to "Clear a room!"

[@JamesPSmith1980]

The digital gauge cluster is greatly offset by the universal GM steering wheel.

[@Mister_Typo]

The duality of Van

[@martindrew3513]

If your gauge cluster offends you gauge it out.

[@zlinedavid]

@@Mister_Typo Highly underrated comment

[@khrashingphantom9632]

Digital Gauges?! There's just one word..... C-O-M-P-U-T-E-R-S 😉

[@DUMBERTHANYOUTHINK]

Before the digital cluster the Safari had a regular cluster over a graph paper looking background. Because .... FUTURE

[@TehDrewsus]

"I'll buy you a surge" That takes me back. Marching band in the late 90s... Pop machine in the cafeteria had surge in it. Thanks for that memory.

[@zlinedavid]

And back then, we didn’t find the antifreeze green color unsettling at all! 😂

[@yam83]

Oh, while I never was in band, I must have at some point owned cum-covered Airwalks.

[@RobbyJHope]

All that nostalgia of yours provoked out of you through this video but not one fond enough memory of needing to crank one out for you to care to mention?

[@devianb]

Do you remember when Surge had a contest to win a Surge painted Checker Cab?

[@TehDrewsus]

@@RobbyJHope sorry man, I was really not trying to bring up memories with your mom.

[@LuGer212]

I truely believe Mr RCR went full method acting for the intro, and I honor his work ethic for this

[@cwtrain]

Yeah. That was maybe a little too convincing. I was there- voluntarily or not- in that Astro van.

[@flavortown3781]

Acting, nah fam that was part of his biography

[@fp5495]

It was talk for years that Marlon Brando actually screwed his costar on film in Last Tango in Paris, but alas, it was only a myth. That's how good his acting was. But I'm certain Mr. Regular just unloaded for us in this vid because I'm not certain about his acting abilities.

[@roddydykes7053]

Picture him in his little marching band outfit whacking off

[@raymondmartinez2686]

@@cwtrain😂😂😂😂

[@LouisSubearth]

The taillights are JDM, the reverse light was relocated to the bumpers in JDM models, along with a rear foglight to meet Japanese safety standards. And then the Astro in Japan went to inspire the Toyota bB, which we got as the Scion xB.

[@jdubskiwright2380]

The xB was inspired from the Astro van?? Over how many years 10 to 15 before the xB even went into production??? How the fuck is that?? Especially considering how they look nothing alike..

[@Boss_Scaggz]

@@jdubskiwright2380 He probably just tells that to people that have to ride in his Astro van.

[@Grimm-Gaming]

My xB was the best car i ever owned amazing interior space great mpg handled great cause it was a featherweight. But fuck it was slow on interstates

[@PigglyWigglyDeluxe]

@@Grimm-Gaming the 1.5 liter is legendary. I’ve got the same engine in my Yaris.

[@Grimm-Gaming]

@@PigglyWigglyDeluxe it may be slow but it does like its revs.

[@toxicity4818]

That monologue at the end was peak RCR and I absolutely love it

[@kensebben1]

" ... And I will use the computOoOr to BUUUSS!"

[@ThatFreakingDude]

I've been waiting for the longest time for RCR to bring in an Astro/Safari van to the show. These cars are everywhere in the background.

[@leadfoot8593]

is the aerostar next week, or next year? in bust we trust.

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

@@leadfoot8593 had bad transmissions😣😤😥😥

[@CaptainBlackBread]

I was literally about to post mine. Same year, same digital cluster only mine had a pop top camper and outlets. I'm so sour about this.

[@ThatFreakingDude]

@@leadfoot8593 Speaking of busting, maybe one of these dustbuster vans will be on the show? Like Chevy Lumina APV, Pontiac Trans Sport, Olds Silhouette - one of those things.

[@trashrabbit69]

Well, the second gen/refresh ones anyways. Every one of the original Astro's I used to see have long turned into brown dust in my neck of the woods.

[@dj_laundry_list]

The weird thing about the 4300 is how much they improved it over time. My family owned 3 of them. While it was horrible in the Blazer, mated to a 5-speed manual in the C/K it got good mileage (around 23mpg mountain driving), and could drift up to third gear. Still going strong, if not a bit lopsided at 220k miles

[@TorquilMcLeod]

We owned 3 as well, a 1991, 1994, and a 1997 Safari. The 91 and the 94 both made a lot more induction noise, with a noticable air sucking sound from the outside when cold, and distinct induction noise inside at higher RPMs, which I'm guessing was due to the round air cleaner on top of the TBI. The 94 had more power and could cruise faster on the highway. The 97 had a redesigned induction system with an airbox, it made significantly less induction noise, the transmission shifted more precisely and didn't hunt around for gears as much (it may have been electronically controlled), and the suspension was improved with less wallow. I test drove a 1991 or so Sonoma 4.3L 5 speed in the fall of 1996 and it was pretty fun with the light weight.

[@tomjoad8272]

Yep. Had a 4.3 in my first 1997 gmc. It was an automatic but a great engine all-around

[@d4rbo]

Yup, I have an ‘01 Silverado with the 4300 and it has no problems. A very small coolant leak few years ago was my only problem. The automatic transmission might have problems but at 200k miles it still runs perfect

[@Elgauno]

My 4300 was at 280000 miles before I screwed up an oil cooler line and locked up due to the oil vacating itself. Not exactly a powerhouse engine but good lord that thing lasted me.

[@seththomas9105]

@@TorquilMcLeod As I wrote above the 4.3 was a bit outgunned in a full size truck platform, but in the S series it was a great truck engine. If I could find a S series Blazer with the 4.3 and 5-speed that wasn't rusted back to the Earth I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[@macktheinterloper]

I miss your wistful, nostalgic monologues. This one was a gem. Almost had me weeping. Bless you for that tonal shift at the end, had me laughing my arse off. Oh the joy and pain of being in your 40s.

[@falsehero2001]

I heard that every time Mr. Regular gets in a Chevy Astrovan…He busts.

[@MySparkle888]

I heard whenever he see a digital gauge he busts!

[@quadruple_negative]

Yeah well, I heard that whenever he sees a GMC steering wheel he busts!

[@scotchbingeington6761]

Every time Tommy Fenstemacher busts.... He B U S T S In a never ending cycle of bustaclysmic bustitude, on and on, back and forth, forever.

[@TannCo2]

I can smell this van through the internet. Or maybe that is Mr. Regular. Not sure.

[@JimmyDoresHairDye]

On todays episode we play: “guess that smell - bust or 90s GM interior glue”

[@kasparsr]

Aren't we all Regular?

[@gayasparagus]

Smells like musk... I may be hard now...

[@coreygolpheneee]

It's like human flavored bleach

[@StevieDamnit]

This is ideal for someone like Matt Foley to live in.

[@jimmynickelz]

Riverfront real estate

[@dopey473]

BY THE RIVER

[@pravkdey]

This thing was made to soak up FAT SWEAT

[@unclebob7937]

No coffee tables are safe!

[@zlinedavid]

From what I hear, you haven’t been using your paper for writing but for ROLLIN’ DOOBIES!

[@RayoAtra]

First vehicle i ever accidentally got on two wheels in a curve and also recovered. My parents freaking safari.. That color and those wheels exactly. Shit 25 years later i still relive seeing the street get closer to the driver window for the half second. Good shit.

[@probablyhiding]

First time I got stuck in someone's front yard because I unsuccessfully chucked my S10 around a corner on the way to school, we spent an hour with my buddies AWD Astro trying to yank me out. Fun times

[@gayasparagus]

Same interior?

[@TBustah]

My connection to these is *just a bit* more innocent. When we were about nine, my buddy and I used to draw superheroes and little comics during the church service that our families put on for the local correctional high school. It was the late ‘90s, so of course we were both into Captain Underpants, and decided that we needed a name for our little outfit like Harold and George’s Treehouse Comix from the books. We somehow eventually settled on Safari Comics, after the minivan his family came in every week. I still use it on and off when I’m drawing something, like for a comics class I took as an elective in college. My mom’s brother had an Astro for a while too, he was in construction and it was basically his work truck.

[@Corkoth55]

His family came in the van every week? That connection isn't even a bit more innocent. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@TBustah]

@@Corkoth55 Dammit, walked right into that one… 🤦‍♂️

[@ChoppaDave]

Parents had one of these beautiful beasts. Captains chair option for the second row was godly, they swiveled 180 degrees to face the rear bench seats!

[@momitch62]

every astro got the cuck chair

[@MobCat_]

I 100% believe that Mr Reguar was really cranking it and busted in the intro of this video..

[@Novur]

With the prevalence of "nut" in this day and age, "bust" has become an underappreciated gem

[@theothertonydutch]

"Or bust" really starts to take on a different meaning, doesn't it?

[@MCTogs]

One mustn't forget the all ambivalent cum

[@Obenzinger]

The last 60 seconds and hearing Mr. Regular cracking up made me crack up more than I have in a few weeks. Thank you Mr. Regular!

[@novemberwolf6884]

I really like how at the end you associated this car with a romanticized bohemian lifestyle, on par, or even more than the westfalia video, that and “adults make it up as they go” are themes that really knocks out of the park

[@JM-bb8xi]

The official car of “Rolling Probable Cause”

[@1922BluePhoenix]

🤣🤣🤣

[@bunnysparklzbunnytime5117]

My mother had a GMC safari back in the day. Put an inverter in it with a 27inch zenith TV and a VCR. Forgot to bring all the movies on a road trip except a boot leg copy of Spaceballs. Driving from upstate NY to Florida watching that movie the whole time has ingrained that movie in my mind. I can still recite that movie by heart along with the Winslow noises haha. Fond memories of that thing

[@victorkreig6089]

Friend of mine did that after he and his wife finished their military contract out in alaska As it was i THINK 09 smart phones weren't huge so their only option was to play movies in their FUCKHUGE DENALI Except Mike forgot to bring the huge stack of dvd's he had prepped for it at home..... The only thing they had to watch from Alaska to Florida was what was already in it the last time it was used....Monthy Python and The Holy Grail. Man can still quote the entire movie verbatim to this day

[@bunnysparklzbunnytime5117]

@@kevinjokipii4260 WE AINT FOUND SHIT!!!

[@judgebigmansion3492]

I hope "Thanks Frankie Mindcavage" becomes a the next "busting." Any time Mr. Regular needs a quick grab for something seedy, there's Frankie willing to lend him "X thing" for 5 minutes and a Surge.

[@paulyearley1084]

The 4.3 is a relatively decent engine. My dad at one point had an S10 with one (and a five speed!) that would rip sick burnouts in first without half trying, then shift to second, and continue the burnout. He never saw me do that to his truck, and he died a happier man not knowing that.

[@jamesprice2163]

My 2.2 with 4.10 rear gears would do the same and chirp third if I was really harsh on it lol but I wished I had a 4.3

[@kennethstark1117]

Parents had an 88 Astro, that engine killed 3 transmission and still ticked away when we drove that thing in 1st all the way to the scrap yard. Miss that thing

[@xeronicus]

I had an 89 that somehow survived all thee way to 460K miles until it decided to drop a rod bearing...Trans was still going strong.

[@nickb1892]

That was a beautiful finale of an ending, starting from the digital dashboard. Thanks for another Masterpiece Regular Car Review, Regular Cars Team. Thanks to all followers who support this wonderful channel.

[@ileutur6863]

There really is no feeling quite like being horny in middle/high school. You bust, but in a matter of hours, you're right back to feeling like you've abstained for weeks

[@97I30T]

I remember those days. I definitely excused myself from class to go rub one out in the bathroom more than a few times during those years of my life. Lol.

[@postpostpunk]

This is the best car channel on KZbin, and it’s not even close.

[@tenczaandfriends]

I have a 1990 v6 with the Z VIN so mine gets roughly 180hp and I love it. Mines a Cargo that me and my family converted completely. It's the Shorty and it's got Reverse lights and so much has been replaced but it just gets the job done. It's older then I am lmao.

[@jimmynickelz]

Kunkleman sold these with a $400 gift certificate to Sterns.

[@theothertonydutch]

Sterns? More like Sperms, amirite?

[@FranciscoFJM]

The dried cum adds to the value

[@dinosaurdundeeog1462]

RCR actively trying to trigger the algorithm at this point. *AND I LIKE IT*

[@StoriesByDighe]

I think it’s working lol

[@kasparsr]

Don't ask what the Algorithm can do to you. Ask what you can do to the Algorithm.

[@landyachtfan79]

I have to confess that I have always had an "It's Complicated" relationship with the Astro/Safari. I LOVED how roomy & comfortable they were, how smoothly they rode, & how quiet they were.........& that 4.3-liter V6 is a TORQUE MONSTER, but fit & finish left A LOT to be desired. I will NEVER forget that it was an Astro which brought me to see Home Alone for the first time, however. I will NEVER forget cruising to Showcase Cinema in Woburn, MA in a blue 1986 Chevy Astro full of kids, BLASTING C&C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)".........ON THE CASSETTE PLAYER (Man, I'm old!!!!!)!!!!!!!

[@coreygolpheneee]

But to me this represents a more honest Chevy, you are buying the ladder frame underneath. The rest is just a bonus

[@AustinHerrig]

Once had a 92 Blazer with a .60 over 4.3 mated to a 700r4 with a B&M shift kit. It was surprisingly quick and the shift kit made it feel super agressive. Ill always love the 4.3

[@e23561]

I'll agree. My dad has a 2006 work truck with 4.3 and the shift kit absolutely changed that thing. 340k miles still going. Only ate thru 3 distributors gears.

[@williamparker7823]

I had one in an isuzu amigo. Not the 3.1 gm v6 found in other isuzus, a 4.3 out of a blazer. Someone fabbed an adapter plate to mate to the isuzu gearbox. It was like driving in low range all the time, torque for days because it replaced a 120 hp 4 banger. Parts were a nightmare since it was pieced together to fit in there.

[@12yearssober]

The 1992 ASTRO is awesome with a 350 swap. Relatively easy to do and they are a great sleeper.

[@j.v.0.t855]

Cool info Mr. Epstein!

[@emmanuelwil-jeff]

@@j.v.0.t855 remember who your talking to memes aside but if epstien knew abt swaps well alrighty then

[@D725U]

Davidsfarm had a Safari van with a Camaro 350 engine. It became the new Redneck Rollercoaster after the Aerostar van was scrapped

[@iluvcakes19]

Don't wanna hear bout no swaps!!

[@12yearssober]

@@D725U I miss his channel. He was an early victim of the cancel culture.

[@maweitao]

It's interesting that the Astro evolved into the generic white van in the second gen. The first gen was an oddball and it was rare to see them used like an actual minivan. For as long as I can remember, I've only ever seem them driven by low-wage contractors, always overloaded with ladders. As an aside, I've always loved those rectangular sealed beam headlights. They make cars look serious and determined.

[@MechanicWolf85]

Determine Expecially when you hit it, cause this things are pure steel made

[@bigdapramirez6157]

I like how he'll talk about the car itself for 10% of the video and then dips into a deep monologue for the rest of it

[@shingoose6197]

This intro felt the most like a confession

[@cardoor9600]

The epilogue was truly amazing

[@_NoodlesMedia_]

It's funny because my 2004 Blazer 2-Door (2WD) would always kinda kick down and buck like that when I tried to give her the beans. I personally certified on multiple occasions that the old, rusty, minutes from death suspension, no weather seal, slippy transmission, dodgy wheel spinning, wheel hopping, caliper sticking, crappy alignment, oil leaking, EVAP leaking, BEAST; was electronically limited to 95 mph and I loved that old truck anyway. It had a charm about it and I still regret getting rid of it because as bad as that particular example was, it reminded me of the nice one I took many a road trip in when I was a kid, and that's what owning older cars is all about it my opinion. Recapturing a moment in time where this vehicle brought joy, excitement, and sparked a love the things you care about. I hope to get another someday but maybe a 4x4 this time so it can hold up to adverse conditions a bit better and won't be one bump in the road away from violently falling to pieces.

[@moose8goose]

Definitely one of those episodes to have your earbuds in.

[@bradleychong7722]

As a longtime viewer and fan, I have to say you’ve hit a new low. And it’s fantastic.

[@seththomas9105]

Don't throw shade at the 4.3 Mr. Regular. I had a 84 S-15 Jimmy 4X4 with the 2.8. Gave new definition to "Worthless" . Thank God I at least had a 5-speed behind it; in 1990 I would have thrown a old man down a flight of stairs to have a 4.3 instead of the 2,8. Cheers.

[@Efeff1988]

Th 4.3 was practically gods gift to man compared to the 2.8. What an absolutely useless engine.

[@seththomas9105]

@@Efeff1988 100%. I would love to find a 1st Gen S series and put a built 4.3 in it... Se what it could do.

[@coreygolpheneee]

"This bass drum carrier is pushing on my dick base." Holy shit sometimes RCR can just create this fever dream imagery of my high school years

[@Meekmillan]

When I was a freshman in HS I was over at my friends house, playing “man hunt” (hide and go seek for teens) in the neighborhood at night. I see this van parked at the church and get the bright idea to hide inside (they usually left it unlocked, very small town). To my surprise and horror I saw two LARGE bodies just slapping and smashing together like I was back at wrestling practice. I ran far far away from there but I can’t run away from the memories

[@VectraQS]

They drove those screws _everywhere_ in these conversion vans. Including into all kinds of wiring. Sometimes you could get one where you turned the lights on and the heater would come on too.

[@FunkAndFluff]

The last 2 minutes of this video are some of your finest work to date, Doug.

[@n0sfreak]

The first 2 and a half minutes justifies this video's existence...and is also the reason I LOVE this channel. Have been since that Caprice video so long ago til now. I haven't laughed so hard in an incredibly long time....long like my di-

[@papilloncycles3463]

Shan... LOL The Bob Lund White Caprice? Yeah that was Epic.

[@sandasturner9529]

Bruh

[@Llggd]

I grew up in a 1994 Astro van and a 99. They were comfortable vans. The first one was loaded and had too many miles on it before the rear went and the second one got wrecked. So much nostalgia was remembered in both playing SEGA Game Gear with my brother while making a trip 300 miles weekly to my grandparents house.

[@tamegaming1768]

I love the Astro. Vans are good at doing almost everything a Pickup can do but with an enclosed space for people or things, in a more maneuverable package. The Astro in particular had amazing visibility, outstanding comfort and great if bouncy ride. It's the opposite of everything sporty and European but it's what GM was good at making. So comfortable. Your butt sinks a solid 3" into the seat with inches to spare. The seat legit assisted the suspension at improving the ride.

[@bobhill3941]

I loved this video particularly your philosophical analysis. This brings back so many memories for me. My parents had Safaris all through my childhood in the 90's and into the early 00's. I remember dad changing the front rotors on our AWD and they were different, he also said they were built on 3/4 ton truck chassis. They pulled his 18' Tracker fishing boat with ease up to our trailer and got my sister and her friends through the worst Canadian winters to go skiing. Reliable workhorses. With the rear seats out it easily swallowed the Adirondack chair I built in shop class.

[@Vonwafenburg]

My parents bought some crazy one off kinda thing astro in 92. Had a raised roof with a rear ladder as if anyone could be acrobatic enough to mount the top without sliding off. Rear captain chairs and a third row bench, with the TV mounted in the top center garage door cubby facing the rear captains. All my best road trip memories were in that van so thank you RCR for the trip. The digital fuel display was nostalgia incarnate

[@kvltizt]

Ours was similar. The back hatch was a set of double doors and a ladder up one side to a luggage rack on top. Good van!

[@jameseyman9078]

Would love to see something like a 2002 zr2 sonoma. It has the 4.3 and a 3.83 locking rear end. It will roast the tires but if rear axle suddenly locks, it will shoot you into a ditch. The 4.3 turned into a fantastic engine over the years.

[@saturniansun8110]

👍

[@YurtFerguson]

Mr regulars just really good at pulling out old nostalgic feelings that you can't really remember. Talking about riding in the back of a car content in knowing the person who's driving knows everything. Only to once you're to the age the person who was driving is you realize that you just put on the air of knowing everything and adulthood begins and ends with the facade of knowing what's happening at all times

[@Where2bub]

all this creative energy in this narrative suggests a border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, heading into Kevin Smith's world of Quick Stop Convenience.

[@cjwilliams1352]

I love this channel more than anyone will ever know me and my ex refer to this guy as "the car daddy'

[@jliscorpio]

Your intro is so raunchy. I am watching this with my windows open from Saudi Arabia. I can't tell you how much more wrong this sounds here. All I can say is, Keep up the good work!

[@BoopdaBeep]

10 years ago, as a teenager, I worked at a Buick/GMC dealership that changed hands 3 times in the span of like 5 years. Before becoming a salesman, I started off as a Lot Tech - one of the guys at the absolute bottom of the totem pole, picking up trash and brushing snow off all the inventory. There used to be a section of the back lot, ALLLL the way in the back, where we put junkers that were traded in, as well as cars we never got titles for. One of them was a base Astro passenger van, not quite the same color as this, but close. We used to leave the back glass hatch popped open so any of us could gain access without having to go look for the keys after 'locking it up". (We were in a rough part of town and management was strict on locking up any inventory worth anything more than scrap.) Anyway, we called it our "Lot Tech Office", where we would occasionally hold "safety meetings". All that meant, when we talked to each other in code, was that there was literally nothing to do but sit on our thumbs, and so most of us would dip out for a couple hours to hotbox that old POS. We even rearranged all the seating so we could actually look at each other and talk while we were fucking around, smoking some of God's finest green. Man, those were fun times.... simpler times...good memories to cherish forever

[@paulgoeller8264]

This is one of my favorite channels and I never post but I just roared when he said pencil pusher that got passed over for the 5th time this year. Buying a mug. God bless you!

[@mikeomgwtf]

I think about busting during every Mr. R video, the commentary was just a bonus

[@aidanpysher2764]

@12:00 I am literally in class and studying for Cyberspace Operations when this came up. I'm trying to hide that I'm in tears right now.

[@mathewbeni2419]

We finally got Bobby Bustamonte!!!! I heard him and Roman make it up in a livestream like 3 months ago 😂 let's go!!!

[@GP1138]

"Hahaha, good to meet you man, big fan of the channel! Yeah, savage my vehicle man, I love it, I want you to lay into it. How you gonna do it?" *watches review* "... oh"

[@lgorto]

You did this van a disservice by not reviewing one more put together on the inside. The rear bench seat will flip around so you have a little living room in the back. The AWD version is a beast in snow and rough weather. It has 2 sun visors, so you never get sun in your eyes! I love vans, and the Astro/Safari vans are on another level. Just fantastic vehicles, I wish they were still in production.

[@DannyK1992]

2:23 you forgot to give him the Surge can!

[@iTrinityPlays]

The fingertip less gloves, are a perfect aesthetic to driving this van around.

[@stephen3164]

I like these minivans bc they were exactly as labeled: a mini van. A boxy, rwd, short nose, van - but smaller than the full sized ones. The Chrysler minivan was a fwd car stretched in every direction to make it the size of a small van. The conversion Astro van makes for a perfect platform to make a 90’s Boogie Van!

[@jamesprice2163]

That's actually why I want a astro van is to make a full on 70s shagging wagon mixed with a 70s street freak muscle van but I'd want the ultra rare one with a stick

[@amonwirthiem5762]

You can still see tons of Astros on the road today - All in all a reliable and durable vehicle

[@film-john]

I loved my 4300 in my 01 ZR2 S10. It was mated to a 5 speed. Got good-ish mileage for what it was at the time and was fun to drive. Keep bustin.

[@gregkocher5352]

Hilarious! I had a 1994 AWD. Ugly silver. Thank god it wouldn't die. Bought it with 117k miles and sold it at 318k miles. Never once was it good looking. Never again will I buy a silver anything. But it went everywhere. Creeks, hills dirt roads, blizzard covered interstates. Pulled trailers like a mule. Not trouble free but always repairable.

[@gagebritton8695]

This channel never gets old. Lol

[@enescustovic1883]

you have no idea how much i want to own one of these but at a good price. They're so sexy, I remember when I was 10 years old in 1999 I thought they looked so good and there were so many of them on the roads.

[@adamthompson4072]

I remember some guy around me had one and I thought it was the coolest thing. Mostly because it had an incredibly 90s paint job with yellow as the base color. It was lowered, tubbed, and had 454 swap. The idea of a drag raced minivan was the coolest thing to me in the 90s

[@kaiserschnitzel89]

God damn your Marching Band experience is EXACTLY like mine. Bass drums & constant horniness.

[@heavychevytruck]

Ever seen crash test videos for these vans? They tend to “arch” upward upon impact over 30 mph.

[@HenrySchecker]

My dad wanted a AWD astro/safari van. We wound up with a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country LXi, fully loaded with all the bells and whistles you could get. We test drove the Astro and my mom couldn't climb up into it and so that was the end of us getting an Astro. The town and country was nice. Very roomy and comfortable. We rarely kept the 3rd row in. My dad preferred cargo space and we were a family of 3. No siblings to speak of. Sometimes he would take out the middle row and it would just be my parents in the front and me a million miles away in the back. We had it from when I was 10 to 15, 2002-2007. It was a fun vehicle for that age

[@beetlejuice4693]

I had a ASTRO van cargo with 4 on the floor it was awesome I bought it from a local hardware store it was a delivery van had like 40k on it got it for 650$ and less than 10 yr old too I basically stole it lol only problem was driving around nyc in a cargo van right after 9/11 I got stopped every block

[@mooninite442]

About time you covered one of these

[@Ahhhdam850]

yet another fantastic upload

[@peterrose1695]

I spent all 4 years of highschool wasting away in marching band, first trumpet Ill have you know. And man you are bringing up some accurately close memories......

[@JBM802]

This one was fun, but you’ll never be able to take or give a load like the Astro can.

[@justinmurray8920]

This is the best vehicle review I have ever seen

[@hi-fibyharris8461]

I've got a 2006 Silverado Single cab with a 4.3 and 5 speed manual. I love that motor in a full-size truck configuration, So easy to work on and super cheap. Tossed in a billet distributor, a fresh set of injectors and never looked back.

[@cooperhall2793]

The official dad van of 80s and 90s kids. One of the most vivid childhood memories was of my dad's 93 Astro EXT that he had through the mid 2000s. He put 225k miles on that thing with nothing more than oil changes before he sold it to get something newer. It's probably still out there somewhere driving around. Years later, he would get a 99 conversion that was equally as reliable. My brother had a 98 and a 2004, and I had a 1995 that I won in an auction for under $500. I put that thing through hell and back, and it just kept asking for more. The 4.3 V6 wasn't powerful, but the torque let you do just about anything you wanted. I towed cars with that thing. The extended models would perfectly fit a 4x8 sheet of drywall or plywood. It was truly my "truck". They haven't sold these new since 2005, but there is a reason that you still see them routinely around town. They are rudimentary, but they just won't die. As a note, the one in this video had the TBI 4.3 with the lower power rating. Starting in 92, you could option them with a central port injection 4.3 that made a much better 190hp. That's what mine had. Starting with OBD2, GM switched to multi-port injection with the same power rating. Also, fun fact, they first sold these in the 80s with an optional Iron Duke 4-cylinder and a manual transmission option on both models. I can't imagine how gutless one of these would be with an Iron Duke.

[@teddieteddie7535]

I kind of remember the first generation of these vans while growing up, but it's the second generation that I really remember. It's beenearly eighteen years since these vans went out of production and they are becoming increasingly rare in Oregon.

[@bobbylobby820]

yea, she wanted to go into first, and ill tell ya, i own a 1992 sonoma with a tbi/efi 4.3 with a 4 speed auto with overdrive (700r4) the same drivetrain as the van in the video. and you could go from 20mph and freaking floor it, as soon as she kicks down into first your head bounces forward and as she tops and kicks into second, you bounce your head off the back of your seat. she never got over 45 in 2nd in overdrive gear, but if you put her in second and hammer it. she will go all the way to 58 mph and overrev herself to get to 60. I floored it all the way to 102 one day, she got to 100mph and then went into 4th no joke. i still dont want to test 4th, she might blow up.

[@TheBurningDonut]

I love Astros I've owned two of 'em! The second one I owned had over 300,000 miles on it! It was a mystery to science how it was still running!

[@jordansmith4040]

My father had two of these. I could never understand how gutless the engine was for having such a large displacement.

[@stevensinger5885]

My whole family grew up in Astro vans. We had so many over the years that we divide our childhood into "The Red Van Years," "The Green Van Years," and "The Blue Van Years." Sadly Mom and Dad got a Trailblazer and a divorce, in that order, right when I got my permit. That red van was an '88 or '89 with a 5 speed stick; it was regarded as so rare the dealer we traded it to thought my dad swapped it in.

[@AleksiJoensuu]

2:32 Glad to see that not only did they include complimentary touch-up paint but also A BATTERY. At "NO EXTRA CHARGE" no less.

[@thedant21]

My dad bought 13 of these at a Kentucky Lottery silent auction. All were dark blue 95’s and AWD. Fleet maintained and in amazing condition. They used them to haul ticket machines that needed work. This was in 2000 I think. I loved driving those in the snow.

[@drewdederer8965]

There was a notable (if not all that sizable) customizing crowd for this in Japan. It was simple enough to DIY, small enough that it still fit on Japanese Roads. Quite a few of these ended their days blinged to the nines overseas. The other big user, contractors. A LOT of these ended up as work trucks, apparently most of the issues were cosmetic, the powertrain would last a LONG time (it wouldn't be GOOD, but it would last). I think of this as the ancestor of Ford's little work van.

[@OllamhDrab]

Yeah, they can actually make tons of sense for handypersons and lower-rent plumbers, electricians, and whatnot, especially with one of the more-useful rear door options, ...it helps they aren't 'minivans' so much as 'Smaller regular vans' in layout and construction and maintenance. Anyway, I guess they got cool with the hip hop set again more recently so I guess that's where a lot of the survivors went. Stylingwise, actually I think they're pretty suited to a bit of accessorizing, cause they kept it simple and I guess weren't trying too hard to look either suburbanite or too sci-fi.

[@captainmappy3959]

My dad drove Chevy Astros for a good while when he worked for ADT in the 90s and 2000s. The back smelled like a Circuit City.

[@2stroke438]

I'm a carpenter and I pack all of my tools in a 91 awd astro. I love that I can take all the tools out and go anywhere I need to, like camping or a range day.

[@Afreelunch85]

Van enthusiast here- those wheels are wider than stock (to better fill the fender flares) cast aluminum things fitted by Explorer to their conversion models, pretty sure they weren't OEM. They also came on other Explorer conversions.

[@schippa2]

"And I will use the compu-tor... TO BUST" had me stifling laughter at my desk at work

[@rjkStudios]

I love the look of those 80's - early 90's digital dashes so much. 😎👍There is a fantastic "vibrant" quality and bit of glow to them that you just don't get in the modern digital displays that cars are now getting. When the modern digital ones aren't exceptionally well designed, it just leaves me wanting analogue gauges.

[@elfstone85]

I was so happy when my parents got a new family PC so I finally could use their ancient tower Cum-pew-tore powered by Intel Pentium with Windows 98...dialup was edging before we knew what edging was

[@fadedjate7230]

My parents had a brown version of the one in the video. They said it was one of the best vehicles they ever owned. They also had a Dodge Caravan high top conversion van. It was dark blue it looked like the dark green one from one of the previous videos. Had the TV and the VHS player. Great memories...

[@zlinedavid]

Must have been the BROWN.

[@saturniansun8110]

I bought three of these and used them as work vans. Pretty convient as they were the only vans that had truck frames, meaning they would carry more weight than other mini vans that all sat on car frames. Found that the "load" had to be centered though, in the van, still better than the ford or dodge versions as far as weight bearing was concerned, and both others were front wheel drive. Had transmission problems in all three of the Chevy minivans, and eventually had to use a full size quarter ton van for work. Great engine, though, had two Chevy trucks with same engine, and was Very dependable, without the transmission problems. Neighbor has a long bed Chevy with this engine, over 30 yrs old and runs dependably.

[@kevinfox500]

Okay. Now you need to try.the 4.3 backes by a manual, on the C model truck. Short bed, regular cab. Actually makes it fun to drive.

[@philt4018]

This brings back memories. My high school had one of these in their fleet. In the mid 2000s. I remember riding in it with my brother and the band director to district band.

[@xan_carman4216]

Ah something to watch while I poo before going to my dead end job

[@shloomyshloms]

I regularly did it in the principals office bathroom (I knew the secretary) she went to my church. It was the only bathroom in the school with doors.