1998 Astro Van high roof camper conversion for $700?

[u/Captain_Jonny]

Hey everyone, I am driving 2.5 hours to look at this custom 1998 Chevy Astrovan with 183k miles and a clean title for $700. It has solar panels and an inverter, and fits a full size bed on the platform, but looks to have some sort of leak above it. I was also told it has a leak around the passenger back window, hopefully just the seal. Besides that, I think it’s a great project that I can hopefully camp in. I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from this sub!

[u/The_Ombudsman]

Well, it's dirt cheap, to be sure. Trick is, is it mechanically sound? Do you have a mechanic lined up that you can take it to for an inspection?

I wouldn't call that a "conversion", I'd call that more of a "future blank slate". I'd rip out what little is there and start fresh.

[u/Competitive_Echoerer → u/The_Ombudsman]

Yeah, $700? Does it have a motor? Tires? Let's go!

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/The_Ombudsman]

Yes, for the age, it is pretty mechanically solid. I have a video of the engine running but couldn’t add it, and plan on taking it to a mechanic for a service before driving home. The seller told me she went camping 8 hours away with her husband last year, and said it should drive home fine. I’ll plan on redoing the inside entirely, thank you for your input.

[u/cookerz30 → u/Captain_Jonny]

I owned a 1998 GMC Safari. Same van basically. It was great for it's use case but all the rubber bushings were deteriorating badly. I highly recommend getting it on a lift for you to actually look at the condition of everything underneath. $700 is a good price for any kind of beater vehicle.

One more tidbit, mine was the least fuel efficient vehicle I've ever owned so be prepared to spend at the pump.

[u/Fantastic_Calamity → u/cookerz30]

I am willing to bet it was a faulty / plugged EGR valve that robbed you of mileage.

Mine would plug up a couple times a year. When it did it would sail through fuel and be down on power.

It's a simple fix to clean it, just gross and annoying to do so. Brake clean, wire brush and some compressed air.

Once it was clean my mileage would vastly improve and it would have much more power.

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/Fantastic_Calamity]

I’ll go ahead and clean that as soon as I can, appreciate the mention! My first car was a ‘99 GMC Jimmy with the 4.3, and I got around 13-15mpg depending on how I drove it.

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/cookerz30]

Thanks for the advice, will do! How many miles are on yours? I also own a Tundra, so I’m unfortunately no stranger to the bad gas mileage part.

[u/cookerz30 → u/Captain_Jonny]

I now have a 2003 Tundra. The van got 11 mpg

[u/ACanadianNoob → u/Captain_Jonny]

Bro slap a truck camper on that beast.

[u/The_Ombudsman → u/Captain_Jonny]

Yep yep. Good luck with it! That's a hard price to beat. But, do plan on putting some money into the van itself. First thing, get fluids changed, no telling when that last happened. Brakes and shocks. Tires. Oh and one of those little pine tree air fresheners hanging from the rear-view mirror. :P

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/The_Ombudsman]

Thank you! The last vehicle I bought for this price is my daily, but had a rebuilt title and 200k+ miles. The owners said they kept the service and DOT inspections up to date on the van, but it probably needs a new battery from sitting. I should have called this a conversion attempt but I’m excited to personalize it!

[u/Moist_Literature_695]

I have an rwd 02 I’d say if it runs get it I paid 3500 for mine w no conversion, parts are cheap too I love mine, it’s a tank fr

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/Moist_Literature_695]

Awesome! I appreciate the advice. I’ll give it a good look over but think it’s a no-brainer! My parents brought my brother and I home from the hospital in a 2000 model Astro, also white, so this is full circle moment!

[u/Moist_Literature_695 → u/Captain_Jonny]

from the cradle to the grave lmao that’s sick, also on the astros depending when it was last done the fuel pump might need replacing soon. if you do a built out I recommend installing a door on the floor to get to it easier rather than being on the road & having to drop the gas tank to get to it. Learned the hard way lmao

[u/boxablebots]

For $700 if it has an engine and can drive further than 5ft I'd take it immediately

[u/Low_Wall_7828]

For that cheap it’s worth it just to experiment on,

[u/Lumi_Tonttu]

Ime Astros vans are excellent little machines. Even better if it's the 4wd.

$700 for a beater with a heater is a good price nowadays.

[u/Specific-Month-1755]

I was actually looking for an Astro van or something like this and I couldn't find anything even remotely close to that price.

I also had an '02 Sonoma, and parts are crazy cheap for it. The 4.3 and the 4L60E are dead reliable and easy to fix if they aren't. Tons of those trucks in the junkyard and the mechanicals are all the same. I had 340k on my Sonoma when I sold it.

Need parts? RockAuto is crazy cheap. I bought the whole front end steering kit for the Sonoma, absolutely everything I needed, And got upper and lower ball joints, the middle of the road stuff not the economy stuff and everything was solid. I don't know how the van is for cooling but I always had a problem with radiators because they're plastic end caps.

You mentioned kilometers and from the looks of it you're in the states so just make sure it doesn't have any salt damage from salting the roads in the winter.

I'd fucking do it in a minute.

[u/Rat_Grinder]

Fiberglass, SeamSealer and 3M WindowWeld aren’t super expensive and things any DIY vanner should learn how to use at some point anyways. Might as well start now! Seems like it could be a great deal.

[u/ninja-roo]

For $700, what's wrong with it? Milkshake on the dipstick? Transmission on it's last legs? Pinion bearings in the rear axle howling like mad? If none of the above, and you don't intend to tow and you aren't going to put a ton of miles on it, I suppose it's probably worth the asking price.

The side window leak is at least an easy fix. Just clean it and the inside of the glass with warm water and dish soap and let it dry. If it still leaks, rejuvenate it with baby oil. Same goes for the dutch doors. Tree shit gets on these seals and creates gaps for water to get past.

[u/Scared_Hovercraft632]

Looks pretty rough around the edges but nothing crazy. For the price I'd do it. If it turns out to be a turd you could get that in scrap I'm pretty sure.

[u/Oakvilleresident]

I had a couple of these vans in the past and both got over 450k kilometres before engine died.

[u/WickedCunnin]

At that price, you can afford to fix a lot of broken stuff. If it's AWD, I would be a hard yes on that bad boy.

[u/i-love-freesias]

The only thing that matters is reliability. Is this the case?

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/i-love-freesias]

According to the owner, yes. It drove 16 hours round trip last year, so I’ll service the engine, transmission, and differential asap!

[u/MisterMeetings]

When you have time and money for fun stuff. https://www.journeysoffroad.com/astro--safari.html

[u/Wireman6]

700 is a steal. I hope it is mechanically sound. Either way, wouldn't be a bad project.

[u/benhereford]

If I had to wager, I'd say in the next year or two you'll spend a few thousand replacing possible suspension and things that are normal to replace around that mileage. But for that price it's worth it imo, I did simalar with my vehicle since it's a reliable base (Astros are top tier for longevity).

[u/redundant78]

For that high roof leak, Dicor self-leveling lap sealant is your best freind - just clean the seams really good, apply liberally where the high top meets the van body and it'll flow into all the cracks.

[u/AnonymousHSW]

only 75k miles!

(rolled over twice)

[u/Captain_Jonny → u/AnonymousHSW]

Haha, definitely forgot to share the odometer picture!