Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Others have had leaks in back door, and did find that once both sides, but suspect it was my fault when washing with a hose.During a very heavy rainstorm nothing got in.
Most irritant is a small piece of trim by the passenger side sliding door. It slips under the weather seal,with out any clips etc but just started to drop down. Have held it up with two side tape. Seen one other posting.
We haven't had any other problems and are getting about 20 mpg, mostly driving around town. We are gearing up for a month-long vacation in July, so we'll see how it does then.
We have a Venture LT 2000 which I got in March. Yesterday we drove back from Toronto to NJ 534 miles and averaged 29.5 mpg ave speed of 60 mph.
We are out of the small child stage, but the rear space in the back can hold a lot of stuff such as strollers etc. I put in mats and rear liner.
Noticed in Canada that the GM van outnumbers all the others Chrysler/Ford, but mainly the SWB version.
Whether you go for the Chev/Olds/Pontiac, they are made at the same factory in GA, essentially the same but slight differences in "fixtures and fittings". Whether any one brand is better than the other, depends on personal taste and cost.
The 2001 versions have changed front grilles and more sophisticated entertainment facilities.
This van is the unsung hero of GM.
The Venture is probably the cheapest-looking (better to say least plush) of the Venture/Montana/Silohuette vans. Our interior is grey-colored and plastic all around, but that works well when you have little ones that are prone to making a mess with food or drink, or crayons or their muddy shoes, etc. The engine/tranny combo is terrific, great acceleration, and a quiet ride. The gas mileage is 22 mpg in city, 26 on the highway. The drivers seat can be raised up and down as well as front-to-back, so you can sit as high as you want. Visibility is terrific out the front and the outside mirrors are huge. Side and rear windows are tinted, so can be hard to see out the rear at night, but tint keeps the inside cooler on hot days. No need to get power sliding doors, unless you like that sort of gadgetry; the doors slide open and shut real easily. We've only had our Venture a month, but we absolutely love it, a great value for the price (low finance rates now too). Check it out, and let us know what you end up buying.
We found a basic LT and paid strait-up invoice. We couldn't have been any happier. Just got back from a 2,000 mile trip. The van drives it's self.
No problems . . . . Love the van.
I think we're gonna' get another one.
Paid $550 below (invoice+destination+advrt).
Chose $1500 rebate on basis of tax-adjusted present value calculations.
Venture LT is more cost effective if you want most of the options.
Wanted to buy Honda or Toyota but Toyota was too small and Honda required 5 months wait (They are good buy even at MSRP)
The only reasons we bought Chevy were:
a) Was getting No haggle below invoice pricing
b) Had $4660 on GM Card points and they were expiring every month
c) Chevy has 8 pass seating AND integrated child seat
At 120 miles, Service Engine Light came up, had to take it to the dealer who would give me appointment only after 9 days!! Anyway they looked at it and notice that certain hoses were not connected at all!!
Lost 3 hours (pretty expensive for hourly paid)
I guess deserved it for buying an American car.
(In last 20 years of owning 9 cars, anything but Honda and Toyota have given problems)
Bracing for more problems.
For others looking for Van or any other car, BUY HONDA OR TOYOTA unless you have $5210 worth of external incentive such as one we had.
By the way, car buying experience was better this time around as some dealers have learned few things however most are still the same.
Again, buy honda/toyota and be happy.
Thanks
Melissa
I had a small problem last week. It rained the other day and after I drove up an incline about a 1/2 cup of water trickled around where the driver door and dash meet. Has anyone else had a leak in that area?
No, it is not achieved with two three-person benches. GM uses a multi-anchor system in the floor which allows many differently-built seats to use various combinations of those anchors to achieve a wide range of configurations. Even the benches in the least expensive models are not the one-piece seats their name seems to convey; they are two individually adjustable sections that can be aligned to serve as the "traditional" bench seat, if necessary.
The eight passenger configuration is achieved by placing three individual seats in the middle row.
So, instead of 2-2-3: 2 front-row buckets, 2 smallish benchlike sections that does not go all the way across the vehicle, 3 smallish people sharing two smallish, benchlike sections that go all the way across the vehicle, but in the narrower rear wheel area of the passenger cabin in the back row),
it is 2-3-3: 2 front-row buckets, 3 medium-sized individual "modular" seats that cover the entire mid-vehicle width, and 3, as above.
Very imaginative and clever engineering in my mind. The only thing that spoils it for me is that apparently GM does not allow the purchase of additional seats if one wanted to be able to configure their one vehicle with all the possibilities the platform supports. The desire to do that would seem rare, but to not be "permitted" to do this in the "land of the free" no matter how foolish most might feel that it is, is corporate arrogance to me.
Drives solid as a rock . . . . kinda' wish I'd have leased it though.
We purchased from a junk yard 2 modular seats to replace the 1/2 bench seat. The floor mountings are there all you have to do is put them in. Now we can mix and match seating configurations to have either 7 or 8 passenger seating. The only problem now is to get the out board seat belt reconfigured. Again the mountings for the seat belt are there its just a matter of remounting it. We're having a specialty shop in the area that is licensed to make seat belt modifications do the work. Happy configuring!
You can fold back down of center seat to use as table for two outboard seats. This is ideal for card games. In picking my daughter up from college with all her gear we could remove the seats individually.
The rear split bench would be tight for three adults but again we like the fact it can flip and fold by section, but they are heavy to remove.
All these seats do recline and can slide back and forwards.
This choice has to be made at time of ordering!
-----------------------------------------------
No leaks around front end. Number of reports of rear leaking, which seems to be the rubber grommets under the rear door carrying the electrical wiring need to have some sealant.
-----------------------------------------------
Not seen any change in overhead info center light intensity. Could be a faulty unit.
-----------------------------------------------
Will have van into dealer this week over rear stitching on drivers seat coming undone. Said they would get it fixed at upholstery service, but looks difficult as plastic strip needs to be re inserted. Also having front alignment checked as steers straight with wheel slightly off to left. 7400 miles and we love it.
I just bought out the lease on my '97 Venture Van. I have never had a bit of trouble with it and felt it was a good decision as I am in need of a van for a number of years yet. The week after I bought out the lease, my transmission crashed! This happened without any warning and the dealership is presently fully diagnosing the problem(s). I have 91,000 kms on the van and no extended warranty. I decided not to buy the extended warranty as I was informed that the new Chev motors did not even need a tune-up until 160,000 kms. I am wondering if there is anyone out there who has had problems with the Venture transmissions and if so, what was done about it? Thanks in advance for any help with this.
If that's all I have to worry about, sounds like I'll be pretty lucky.
The power door rattles and we have relaced the track once. Low quality plastic parts in the interior. The real problem is I had to convince my wife to buy a made in USA car. I'll never live it down. Please give feed back on any success in making GM step up and take responsibility for for there garbage vehicles. We are taking the car in for every problem large or small and documenting. Dealer is trying but they did not design or buidl this piece of junk.
Toyota here I come!!
Read your comments on trans prob.
Our van started shifting very rough at 16K
with a high pitch whine. Took it to the
dealer and it took a full day for them to
fix it. Solution - they did a field change
i.e. new shifting valve and solinoid. It's
been fine ever since.
Good Luck on anyone that wants one. Even though we love the room, options, and driving it we cannot go on taking it in every other week.
The Evans
Regarding the safety issue: GM's Nov 21 1996 response to the IIHSA offset crash test results seems to be the only GM comment on offset crash testing re their minivans that I could find.
In the response, their spokesman asserts that GM ran 3 offset barrier tests using a "well accepted European test procedure" on the European GM minivan and that the van "performed well"
Anyone who is familiar with the Euro NCAP offset crash testing results(performed after the GM response) knows that the GM minivan (the Opel Sintra) had a very difficult time in the European offset crash test.
GM also indicated that it ran 72 full scale crash tests during the design phase of its vans, is there any way to obtain the testing information referred to by the spokesman in the article, especially the three offset barrier tests?
Can anyone recommend a good book or a paper on interpreting the results of crash tests? Is it fair to extrapolate the results of one crash test and apply it to a wide variety of circumstances? ie real world crash between Venture and smaller vehicle at 30% offset and 120 pound driver(as [opposed to 150 pound dummy) Is the GM safety cage really that much more poorly designed than its counterparts?
Interestingly enough, the GM spokesman also alleged that the one passing minivan in the IIHS crash tests had an intrusion of a tire into the passenger compartment as a result of the crash. Is it possible to get specific information on individual crash tests from IIHS?
The power slider is working without a hitch and there are no rattles, clinks or clunks.
I am an extremely happy Venture owner!
The rebate is still at $1500 unless you take financing. CarOrder much downsized and prices gone up.
The new 2000 for 2001 has minor electronic changes wireless headphones etc, and the chrome grille has gone replaced by a single color keyed bar.
We have done just on 9000 miles since March and on long trips gas mileage 30.2mpg (how accurate the computer is I am not sure!)Only minor repair was rear stitching on drivers seat under warranty.
Very quiet ride and excellent on long trips, and ample space for luggage.
Not sure what model you are looking at but worth getting rear A/C. Noticed some dealers are pricing down the van as new models will start appearing.
Friend just purchased the Honda and he is happy with that also. It did take him about 4 months to get the van though.
TOYOTA here I come! They at least stand behind their $27,000 vehicles!
I have a '00 Venture, at 3200 miles it runs like new (still have some new-car smell too)! Yes, the interior is cheap plastic, but having young kids, I like the ease with which that cheap plastic cleans up. The side windows on the sliding doors rattle when open, but a cure for that was posted in this forum a few hundred posts back. Mostly we keep those windows closed and the A/C on.
I dare anyone to say that ANY manufacturing process produces 100% defect-free products all the time. If Chevy builds 100,000 Ventures in a year and 99% of them are trouble-free, then 1,000 Venture buyers are gonna buy lemons. S*** happens. Happens with all vehicle mfgrs. too, even the Almighty Honda and Toyota.
I like my Venture, I really like the financing I got on it, and plan on keeping it 5-7 years or more. Of course, if I do run into unexpected problems, will post them here...
Am interested in the oil leak. Was it that filter not tight enough or some other fault.
Rgds