good deal or not so good??

[crash]

ok guys, my 84 K5 sold today... the astro that I have been checking out (haven't seen in person yet) is a 2000 LT (with leather) AWD. I'm not all that warm and fuzzy about the awd, or issues (if any) that go along with it.. but this is my favorite color combo and it's loaded, including second row buckets. it has 185,000 kms on it... which is 114,000 miles...

it's listed at $4200 OBO.....

is it a good deal? too much for the year/mileage? what would I be getting into with the awd?





thanks
rob

[Smiliesafari]

Here in the "Sunshine State" that would be right in the ballpark. From the pics it looks pretty good.

[crash]

sheesh, i should get you to find me one down there smilie... I have to take into account that it's been through 8 salty winters up here... so clean is hard to come by. heck, that 87 mazda b2200 i bought from south carolina last year still had orig brake & fuel lines and they were spotless... if it hasn't been washed and undercoated (oil sprayed) regularly... ours are a mess. thanks.. so , what about the awd? anything i should be concerned about?

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Yeah...the AWD requires a little more maintenance. That is all. You have a t-case and front diff to service. Other than that the only fault the newer AWD's have is that the t-case servo motor is know to fail on occasion. These are a little pricey to replace but not out of a range to keep you from buying. The rest of the drivetrain and chassis is basically the same as the 2WD's as far as cost and maintenance, except the front brakes...they are cheaper to repair/replace than the 2WD's. If the van runs great and is fairly rust-free, I say it is easily worth $3500 - $4000.

[91AWDAstro]

I'd say from the pictures it looks clean. Check out the undercarrige though. My brother has a 99 Safari and it's showing some singns of rust just above the ground affects on the wheel well openings. Do they use a lot of salt up there? I know Michigan uses it like a bad drug in the winter. I've had to replace almost every lower panel on my 91. Even though it still fared pretty good being driven every day in it.

[Smiliesafari]

I agree with Dean and Chris. Rust would be the deal killer. Look it over real good. I'm sure glad we don't have winters that require salted roads. My 96 Safari doesn't have a bit of rust anywhere.

[crash]

thanks for the input guys.... I'm still awaiting a reply from the seller.. 2 days now. what's with people that advertise online, accessible only by email, don't post a number and yet they don't check their email.... (pet peeve)

[thevalleyboy]

When I got my 2001 thats the first thing I did with it - service the AWD and diffs. Sure enough the wrong fluid was in the transfer case - so out it went and in went the blue goo. Don't forget you will take a slight hit in fuel economy with the AWD, but it's sure nice in the snow - just don't forget even with ABS these things don't stop quick - especially in the snow - you can go, but stopping on ice is another matter. I just put my winter tires on they help. I'll trade you my cloth interior for your leather interior - meet you half way - say in Brandon? Price seems about right and probably a little low for the Calgary area.

[crash]

well, he said that within the last few months "transfer case oil (for all wheel drive), spark plugs and wires, and new alternator and drive belt just about 1 month ago"

I think I may go and check it out this weekend....

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Since he just did the transfer case fluid find out what fluid he used. It must be GM Auto Trak 2. There is NO substitution for this fluid.

[crash]

Since he just did the transfer case fluid find out what fluid he used. It must be GM Auto Trak 2. There is NO substitution for this fluid.

now is that, 'NO substitution' a preference as to quality, or, you CANNOT use any other type of fluid?

hmm, well we'll see what happens between now and the weekend (working until then before I can get to where it is to see it)... it's not safety checked or emissions tested for his asking price.. so... I might try and haggle him down bringing cash in my pocket... unless I find something around here between now and then... cheaper and not as pretty .. I've seen a few 93 - 94's kinda rough for sale..

I don't need another vehicle... it's just something for me to play with.. LOL

[LiftedAWDAstro]

The "no substitution" is because there are special additives in the GM fluid for the clutches inside the transfer case.

[crash]

10 - 4

thanks

[crash]

I got to thinking about it.. and not really knowing how the AWD works on these things...

is there a relatively easy way to disengage the AWD feature and run 2wd until the AWD is required??

[thevalleyboy]

the AWD system is no big deal - as long as they are serviced - the front axle, and transfer case - other than that it is basically the same as a RWD. The only other item that is of note is you HAVE to run tires that are the same size front and rear with basically the same wear. So you cannot just put new tires on the rear for example.