1988 Chevrolet Beauville 5.7L 350 SBC
Summary:
GM makes the best full size van on the market. Why take a chance with anything else?
Faults:
Nothing really. The van has been 100% dependable and reliable since I bought it, like any good Chevy.
Power locks don't work anymore; just use manual locking instead.
Stereo was replaced with an aftermarket CD player.
Front seats are worn; installed seat covers.
Apart from that I just change fluids when needed, oil, coolant, differential, brake fluid, etc.
General Comments:
These are incredibly reliable vans, and I recommend them to anyone. I use this as a work van and it never lets me down. I also owned a 1994 GMC van before this, and it had over 350000 k on it when I sold it, still running fine of course.
The GM 350 and 305 engines are super reliable and low maintenance; some of the best ever made in my opinion. Very easy to work on, not that you will ever need to either. Parts are common and cheap, and any mechanic will work on them.
Rear wheel drive makes the steering light and responsive, and also gives you a decent turning radius for a large van.
The van is super reliable and well built; everything including the door handles and hinges is thick steel; no plastic here.
It does have some interior noise at highway speeds, and does not quite drive like a Cadillac, but still gets the job done.
It drives as you would expect from an old full size work van, loud and rough around the edges, not a luxury ride by any means, but that's not this van's purpose in the first place.
Gauges are dimly lit, like most older Chevys. Not a big deal.
Tons of room. Mine is the 8 passenger model, and even with the seats in, there is still about 6x4x4 of cargo space left.
Overall just a great van; reliable, practical and cheap to operate.
Gas is a bit more expensive than a minivan or small pick up, but the low maintenance cost more than makes up for it in the long run.
All in all, a great van that I would recommend to anyone. GM sure did build this one right; no wonder I still see tons of old beat up 80's GM full size vans around; you cannot kill them!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 25th November, 2013
25th Nov 2013, 15:56
Too bad the newer plasticky Express/Savannah vans aren't made like Beauville (or GMC Vandura) was. GM "USED" to make the best fullsize van on the market. For reliability I'd take a G20 van with 80,000 miles already on it over a brand new Express or Savannah van any day of the week.