Engine replaced, I felt confident in having a "new car"ġ) A/C failed twice-dealer doesn't believe they installed bad gasket/seal after re-hooking up A/C after engine installģ) Torsion Arms replaced after 3 shops could not do proper alignmentĥ) Every so often, the power door locks decide to activate lock/unlock by themselves, even w/ engine off. Purchased used w/ 62,000 miles, engine blew up one wk later. The only change I would (and am going to) make, would be to remove all of that lower body cladding that holds dirt and moisture against the metal and invites rust. If I designed the coolest style van possible, it would look just like our Safari. My personal favorite feature is the "old days" style of the body. The "GMC Truck" logos on the steering wheel and back door say it all. It has a "real" engine with a cast iron block and heads, and a front subframe with solid steel tubular a-frames. It is way more handy to drive and park than a full-sized van, and way more capable than a car-based "van". Locally, I'm known as the van man, and I consider the Safari to be the ultimate van. AWD comfort cruiser! Ours is the SLT model, with all the bells and whistles, and they all still work except the front AC shuts down when going up a hill. True, we had to put new idler arms and correct-size tires on it before we left, and install a new water pump on it a week after we came back but it was a joy on the trip and averaged between 17 and 19 mpg the whole way. (It has over 190,000 miles on it, and has been used for everything from hauling landscaping rocks to pulling stumps out of the ground.) Our "new" '96 has 147,000 miles on it, and has just completed a trouble-free 1,700 mile round trip to Michigan. We still use the 1993 AWD Astro van we had before this one, as our work van. The newest,prettiest,and fanciest vehichle we have ever owned. And when anything does go wrong, there are lots of them out there for parts. Excellent in the snow! / And last but not least.we picked ours up for a song because it is considered to be unreliable and outdated by so many folks. We can carry multiple people AND bikes, plants and groceries, AT THE SAME TIME. Commanding seating hieght and great view thru the large, tinted windows. 3.73 gear ratios in all 3 differentials for quick take offs and impressive towing ability. We are now spoiled by the remote door locks, on board compass and outside temp. We can play the kid's CD's AND our cassets through 8 fine sounding speakers. Dutch doors and a handy set-stuff-on-it rear bumper. At what rpm do they produce them? Too high for real-world driving. Do a simple ratio comparison with modern engines that advertise big hp and torque numbers.
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