95 GMC Safari vs 94 Ford Aerostar XLT?

[PHaley]

Title says it for the most part, any thoughts? Which can carry the most carseats easiest and safest? Cargo space? Reliability?

 

[bobandjess99]

well. those are both bottom-rung in terms of safety.
I'm not sure what your price range is, but when I did a search for those makes of vans, they were priced about $3K, so i assumed that was what you were looking at. The sad thing is..in that price range, it's really hard to get a van with good safety ratings. The sad fact is, 15 years ago, minivans were simply not that safe. If I HAD to pick a minivan from the mid-90's for about 3K, I'd probably try to find a 95-98 windstar, 02-05 sedona, 98+ Sienna, or a 99+ odyssey. those are the only non-awful safety ratings in that price range. The sienna and odyssey are probablythe most reliable out of those. I'm not sure about the specifics, but in terms of transporting children, i'd make note of what kind of seat belts they have (lap vs lap shoulder) how they lock, if they are top tether retrofittable and how many, etc. reliability-wise, your best bet on a used vehicle is always going ot be an actual inspection from a trusted mechanic pior to purchase.

 

[PHaley]

Well preferably it will seat 8 and yes the budget is extremely limited in fact less than 3000! Can anyone with a latch manual see which would have more tether spots? I was reading some reviews on this board and others which are leading me towards the Ford but we really can't find much at all one the GMC.

 

[bobandjess99]

it looks like the aerostar canhave tethers retrofitted for the front seat and second row seats, but not the third row.
the GMC section does not go as far back as 94, but it does say that most gmc vehicles after 89 can be retrofitted in some way, you need to call a delaer to ask.

 

[Defrost]

There's a thread in the installation forum about retrofitting tethers in an Astro.

I actually have an 8-passenger '97 Chevy Astro (same as the Safari.) It has horrible safety ratings, but car seat installs are pretty easy. My '97 has four headrests in the outboard positions.

 

[cpsaddict]

We had a 95 Aerostar and carseat installation is easy enough. The seatbelts do not lock and need a locking clip. There are no headrests at all, unless you get second row captains chairs. The Aerostar will not seat eight, no matter what. The second row bench option is a two seater. The back row middle is a lap belt only. It is big and spacious. I have also driven a 94 Safari and prefer the Aerostar, especially if it is the extended version. My mom had two Aerostars and they went forever.

 

[PHaley]

Jackie-Thanks, I have been back and forth on the Aerostar XLT (love that its extended)and I really think thats the one, it seats 7 like you said, but I've read the 2nd row bench can be replaced with a 3-seater if I can find one! Good to know about locking clips, all my seats should have theirs attached since I've never needed them before. Did you ever attempt 3 across or 2 sbs in the vans you had access to? I have a Frontier, PegPerego infant seat, Regent, Marathon, and I'm looking at a RNXT45# and a CA! Also I hear these vans they last and last and aren't terrible expensive to fix. This one I'm looking at has a leak in the exhaust and needs a mass airflow sensor but my uncle/mechanic can fix both. He's going to check and make sure thats all of course and if so I will pick it up/have it towed Friday

 

[cpsaddict]

You could do a three seat bench in the middle, but it will make getting into the third row nearly impossible. I am pretty sure you could get three across the back row of the Aerostar. The seats are big, square and not really contoured. As for fixing, both of our Aerostars needed transmission repairs around 150,000 miles. Back in 1999, it cost about $1000 to get the transmission rebuilt. My dad was able to do almost anything with them and he's just a farmer who thinks he's a mechanic. LOL! They are definately workhorse vans. My mom is really hard on cars(her 04 Explorer has 150,000 miles on it already). Oh and if the steering has a whine to it, it seems to be an Aerostar thing. Both of ours did it and there were never any leaks of anything. It just whined when you turned the steering wheel.

ETA: You could get two across the middle bench, too, since it is identical to the third row, minus a seat.

 

[PHaley]

PS Jacky not Jackie thanks again for sharing your knowledge, I wish the van wasn't 2 hours away so I had more time to "get to know it" before deciding whether or not to get it. My uncle/mechanic should be able to fix whatever problems pretty cheap and my main concern it if it can hold the carseats and hold up until this time next year. If it lasts longer great if not I should have saved enough for a significantly safer replacement Oh and your mom has almost as many miles on her 04 as this 94 WOW!!