Hello from Haarlem, Holland!

[michielw]

Hi, my name is Michiel and since two weeks I am the proud owner of a 1991 Chevy Astro CL. It’s been a while since I was so happy with a new ride, although it is far from perfect and I had to drive it straight to the garage for overdue maintenance. More on that later. First I’d like to tell you about the route to the purchase of this Astro.

For some reason the Astro has always had a magical attraction to me. It must be the combination of the simple but tough design, the compact size and the good stance that makes it such a charismatic, irresistible van. Since Astros were never officially imported in The Netherlands they're pretty rare and hard to find here. Although I must admit I never sought really hard because there was no urgent need. There still isn't. But I just couldn't resist checking out this one example when I got a Marktplaats alert ('Marketplace', the Dutch version of Craigslist) on my phone. The blue and white(ish) Astro was located in Amsterdam, which is very close to Haarlem where we live. So hey, I can always just have a look, right?
It is a camper version, which is a bonus: for years it has been our secret dream to own a camper(van) to travel across Europe or beyond. We've done several road trips in different parts of the US in a converted Dodge Caravan it we liked it a lot.

I decide not to bring my wife for this first look at the Astro because I know she will come up with all kinds of reasons not to buy the car. Rational arguments that have prevented me before from buying cars that I would have regretted buying later. You’d say it might be wise to bring her this time too. But I don’t want her to talk me out of the purchase that I already made in my head. I am sure this Astro is ‘the one’ – although it will be the first I’ll ever inspect. The van has been sitting in front of the garage building for over a year – outside but under a roof - waiting for TLC from the seller and his dad. It is covered in green moss, the interior is messy, the tires are soft and the battery dead. So is the seller’s father, which is the reason for the sale. He tragically passed away two weeks earlier. Sudden heart attack. Devastating to see the tears in his eyes when he tells me about it. His plan had been to refurbish the Astro with his dad (who was a mechanic and owned the garage) and to take it on holiday to Eastern Europe with his wife and kids. Now his plans have suddenly changed and he has other priorities. He’ll sell the garage and the inventory, including the Astro.

In the ad the seller said the engine ran but needed looking at. Well, he was right. It is running on four, sometimes five cylinders and I barely manage to keep it going during my test drive. It doesn’t stop me from wanting this van, so I cover the engine troubles and the potential extra investments with the cloak of charity. Probably just bad spark plus or cables… The reluctant engine makes for good bargaining though, so I manage to bring the price down from 2.000 to 1.250 euros. Which is still too much considering the bills that would soon follow, but since the Astro had great emotional value to the seller, I couldn’t bear to haggle any more. I’m just not so good at haggling either. Anyway, we make a deal and I drive home to tell my wife.

She is absolutely delighted when I tell her about my purchase. I figured she would be, so I let her enjoy the perspective of romantic road trips for a while before I gradually bring the lesser good news about the overdue maintenance and the costs of fixing engines and what not. Of course I could and should have had the car checked at some local garage before I bought it but that’s not how I work. When I buy a car I rely on my gut feeling and once I’ve decided I want it, there’s no way back. It’s a calculated risk: I usually never spend more than 2.000 euros on a car so that’s the highest amount I can lose if all goes wrong. After the Astro deal was sealed I promised the seller to take good care of the van. Not only because that’s what I would have done anyway but also out of respect for his father and the plans they had with their campervan.

The trip from Amsterdam to Haarlem is only 25 kilometers but I am glad I made it home safely and without unscheduled stops in the emergency lane. The first 20 k the engine was running ok(ish) on gasoline. Better than on LPG at least, the liquefied petroleum gas that is used often used in The Netherlands in older cars with big engines. But when we got closer to home the V6 (or 4 ½ for that matter) started sputtering and I had to switch to LPG. Because I didn’t know how full or empty the gas and LPG tanks were, I decided to top them up. That’s when I found out there’s something seriously wrong with the LPG system: after connecting the filler nozzle the gas came out right from under the car. Even before pressing the button to start fueling. Not good. We cancelled our trip to the drive in and limped home, hoping it would be just a hose or a valve…

It is obvious this Astro is in need of a big mechanical checkup. But not before a good cleaning of the in- and outside. It makes a huge difference – at least our van looks decent now, apart from a few nasty spots on the hood, a dented right rear wheel arch and a deep scratch on the left side. I like the wheels. They are original and so is most of the interior. The dashboard is in good condition and the blue upholstery is almost like new. Judging by the Swiss toll stickers on the windscreen and the adaptations made in the passenger compartment the previous owners were serious travelers. I found a sticker in the door frame that says that the high roof was mounted in Germany, which makes this Astro an official ‘Wohnwagen’ (German for campervan). And because it’s a Wohnwagen I pay considerably less road tax than when this car would be registered as a normal passenger van. The wooden floor, cargo boxes, auxiliary battery and extendable wooden storage compartments in the back are further proof that this was, and still is, a proper camper van. Apparently the previous owners were pretty short because it seems the foldable rear bench made a big enough bed for them. We cannot find any extensions to it to make it suitable for us tall Dutchies…

“Why do people buy cars that won’t run? How much did you pay for this thing, no more than 500 euros I hope?”. My mechanic doesn’t hold back when expressing his thoughts on the cars I bring to his garage. After tiptoeing the Astro to his compound the engine gave up completely. It just refused to start again. Well, if it has to strand somewhere, this is the best place to do it. After agreeing with him that yes, the car looks a bit smudgy and no, the engine’s not great either I ask him to do a full check of the car and give me a quote on what it will cost to have it running again like it should. A quick check under the hood by myself and my retired neighbor-mechanic the day before didn’t reveal much but a few dodgy spark plug cables. The engine is too well hidden in the belly of this van to get easy access. I’m afraid fixing this engine will require more than just a new set of cables. Pray for the best, prepare for the worst.

I’m glad I had a few days to prepare myself for the worst. Let’s start with the good news: the car itself is not bad at all. No rust, just a gap in the right sill, which has to be replaced to make the MOT. It will need new brake lines and the side markers are missing completely. Apparently nobody noticed this before, but MOT rules say they should be there. I don’t want to know where all the previous checks of this car were done… All of the above, plus a new ball joint cover, adds up to a total of a little more than 1.500 euros including tax and labor.

The bad news is that the engine is a mess. It will cost me serious money to have it fixed. ‘Death or the gladiolus’, is the strange but amusing expression the Dutch use in a death or glory situation. And this is such a situation. I’m all in now, no way back.

While I’m trying to get used to idea of spending more money on this car than it will ever be worth, I go online for inspiration. Checking out websites and watching videos of people that have done all kinds of conversions to their campervans. I can’t wait to start working on the Astro myself. But first someone has to fix that engine…

More to follow soon. Love to hear your comments!

[okie1]

First off, Hello & welcome to the forum, secondly, nice van, looks well worth some time and money & effort. Don't let people bother you with their comments. Be cautious of mechanics who are not familiar with these vehicles, don't let them just throw money at the problems. Take your time, read and study about your Astro & get the repair manuals for your specific model from eBay or such. A poor running engine problem may be as simple as a good tune up needed.
Just take your time and think things through.
Good Luck

[MountainManJoe]

Welcome to the forum.

I almost didn't let you in. New registrations from Holland are usually spam bots trying to advertise fake viagra or whatever.

Congratulations on your van. I must say it looks very good for its age. How much on the odometer?

I hope you find some useful information here. If there's anything you need just ask. We're glad to help.

[Captn. Crunch]

Yes hello and welcome
Congratulations on finding the van you’ve sought after. It’s a fine looking specimen.
The 4.3 is a very stout engine and it takes a lot to kill them. It doesn’t take much to make them not run however. Thirty year old spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor will do that. Original coil?
The dual fuel system needs to be looked at.
Once again congratulations and yes please keep us updated with pics!

[michielw]

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. About the engine: it's more than just old plugs and wires. It will take an overhaul of the cylinder heads. LPG fuel is cheap but hard on the valves and valve seats. They will start next week on the engine. Keep you posted.

ps wanna buy some cheap Viagra MountainManJoe? ;)

[MountainManJoe]

Aha I knew it!