Chevy & GMC Vans

I found a 1998 Astro conversion van with all wheel drive on craigslist NH for 1200.00 dollars.
I called and spoke to the owner and she told me the battery is dead due to it sitting all winter. She also told me a Mechanic was interested and brought a battery and got it running but the brakes are all seized so he chose not to buy it.. I am going to drive the two and a half hours Tuesday to look at it. I plan on offering 750.00 and then I will go back and tow it home with my S-10 and a car dolly. I will take some pictures as soon as possible and put them on my photo bucket account. This will be a parts van for my 89 Safari simply because I have so much done to my safari and because of the year I don't have to worry about emissions.

Backed out of the deal- 150 miles to tow it due to the brakes and whatever else is wrong with it.

I did the same thing a couple years ago. I hauled a trailer 70 miles (one way) only to find the supposed excellent condition van with a bad tranny was bound for the scrap yard! Sometimes it is best to walk away. If anyone remembers the 86 Safari I bought off a member years ago, they know I should have walked away...that was a 7 hour drive with a trailer in tow.

Keep your eyes open and you'll find the right one.

About the van you walked away from, was it a hi-top or regular roof? If it's not too bad I'd consider for the roof part and sell off or use rest. Not super cheap deal but I can't seem to get a "roof" for mine. Other option I'm considering is making one out of wood/fiberglass to make camper top out of. ANy info appreciated! Thanks, Kelly

Mark,almost every van I have bought was from out of state and a adventure to dolly tow back.

The LT-from-Buffalo
The yellow shop high top-from KY
The V8 donor-from mid Ohio
Ole Yellar-got lucky bought a Florida bodied van local

I'm all towed out now.One trip I ended up from Ohio on the freeway towing back to Roch with nearly no brakes.Never again.Before I bought Rufus,I was shopping on Ebay and there is a pretty cheap transport company on there.It is like $350 from mid Ohio back to Roch.Sure you still end up going to check it out,but do not have the issues of towing it back home.And FYI-the rental U-hauls dollies you have to lie to them about towing a Astro because they do not allow that and the Astro's wheel base is so wide,you can only get them on one of their dollies by mounting on two donut spares on the front and you have to pull the driveshaft or run the towed vehicle's engine so you don't damage the tranny.

Kelly-Ole Yellar has a high top to be installed.Do a search to see what is involved.It isn't as simple as cutting open the roof.For one thing that I have found is some of the older van's seal kits are no longer available and you have to adapt the current seals making it tons harder.

krsowles it is a high top conversion. http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/2855019564.html

Mark, ad says mint inside. What does the body look like? If not for towing it home, would you have been interested in it? I can flatbed it home on one of my equipment trailers but @ 6 mpgs, trying to figure out if it's worth it. My 91 is ugly but sound. I need to replace wiring harness ($400) and paint it ($600 min for paint alone) or maybe do all the brakes over on a 98 ($3-400). Sorry to pester but chasing options... Kelly



Gary, Thanks for warning! How hard can it be to cut a hole in the roof? Usually I start by aiming for a sunroof, by the time I'm done, I call it a cameprvan! I will build it all on my parts van if I do it. Once I have it right, I'll go for the real thing. Never done anything like it before and I'm sure I'll make mistakes but they tell me that is half the fun of it! Told the boys about the balloons and they were psyched, we may head that way memorial day weekend and check it out! The photos from their site were beautiful, Thanks, Kelly

I did not go look at it, basically I was thinking of offering them 750.00 strip the interior for my safari then junk it for about 350.00 but it was 140 miles from me in Barrington NH. and the owner said the engine runs but the brakes are frozen. After thinking about it the interior is not worth 400.00 no matter how good the condition. Depending on your location: if you bought it I may be interested in buying some stuff from you?

markmitchinnh wrote:I did not go look at it, basically I was thinking of offering them 750.00 strip the interior for my safari then junk it for about 350.00 but it was 140 miles from me in Barrington NH. and the owner said the engine runs but the brakes are frozen. After thinking about it the interior is not worth 400.00 no matter how good the condition. Depending on your location: if you bought it I may be interested in buying some stuff from you?

Not sure I'm following you here Mark???

How did you come to the 750.00 price? Did you agree to it on the phone?

Just Curious, Jim

No I just figured that most people that have little knowledge of vehicles mechanically sell for alot less then us that do, know them mechanically in most cases. so I was going to go look at the van and make an offer of 750.00. I have bought many vehicles over the years and never paid the asking price, I learned that while in the Army. Where are you located?

I'm in VA...

But, after looking at the Craigslist Ad, a 1998 with under a hundred thousand miles could not be had here for 750.00 much less 1,200.
Prolly more like 3-4 grand.
Understandably she has an issue with brakes?, or at least someone else told her that she did.
I think it would be worth a look, even at 1,200.

Good Luck Guys, Jim

astroturf wrote:I'm in VA...

But, after looking at the Craigslist Ad, a 1998 with under a hundred thousand miles could not be had here for 750.00 much less 1,200.
Prolly more like 3-4 grand.

Thats the difference in our locations. Up here if the brake lines are rotted, so is the under carriage. In VA or any points south, even with 200k miles, the bodies are generally in new condition compared to us. That's what makes it a challenge for us northerners to buy a clean parts van from the south.

Yeah I got really lucky - the 89 rear wheel drive that I am currently building was a freebee
It belonged to a shelter for people and was bought new by the shelter in 89. as the shelter grew they decided to buy a bigger full sized van so the Safari sat for 3 years. I was told by an employee of the shelter about it and two other junkers (as she called them) SO I called the place and 3 weeks later they called me and said if I hauled all three away I could have them. I called a buddy that owned a auto salvage yard and he agreed to bring the Safari to my house in return for the other two vehicles. The Safari was a cargo with 4.3 /700R4 with 98k miles on it and other then the brake and fuel lines being rusted the only rust was a small area at one of the rear wheel wells. That was the beginning of my project and I have had it for 3 years and it will be on the road by July with V8 power.

I still have mine for sale $2,000.00 O.B.O.