2002 Chevrolet Venture LX 3.4

Summary:

Excellent : Quality should be concerned

Faults:

The fender is misaligned.

There was some rust where the tailgate closes.

And had to replace a rear window.

General Comments:

Very good. Handles well for a van.

The overall quality was so-so.

Me and my wife now are going to buy another Chevy! Our previous Toyota Sienna had some problems but little. So we decided to buy American for the first time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th September, 2008

11th Sep 2008, 08:05

You are about due for the intake manifold leak. Get rid of it no later than 50,000 miles, unless you have an extened warranty and a dealership with good customer service. No worse than a Toyota or Honda mini-van with the transmission problems because they are based on a car.

2002 Chevrolet Venture

Summary:

Very good, but problematic

Faults:

I have had to replace transmissions twice!

The fuel gauge fluctuates widely and is completely unreliable.

General Comments:

In terms of driving, I love this car. It's been a real workhorse.

When the second trans went out, I was very upset, but fixing it was cheaper than buying a new car.

Now the gas gauge has gone screwy. Like many others, I now have to use the odometer to make certain I don't run out of fuel. I will I fix the gauge? Not at $ 400 - $ 600! I want to keep the car until 180K miles.

Would I buy another Chevrolet? Sure, but I will check out potential weak points before making a decision. Today, I only buy used cars. New cars simply cost too much plus all the lousy taxes. The depreciation is terrible and it isn't tax deductible.

All in all, I prefer an American car over foreign because if necessary, I can always go to the junkyard for parts! I've owned probably 15 other GM cars. This one has had the most problems, but you have to be philosophical about it.

I owned three MB too. Nice looking car, but that's where it stops. Simply too expensive to own, maintain and operate. Whenever I'd go the dealer, I thought my pocket was being picked! Never again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th March, 2007

2002 Chevrolet Venture extended 3.4

Summary:

The Venture has served our family's needs well for transportation and cargo hauling.

Faults:

The electrical contacts on the sliding door became corroded causing the doors not to lock or unlock using the remote.

Grinding noise from front wheels which increased during right turns. Dealer eventually replaced front brake rotors under warranty due to premature corrosion.

Repeated failure of left rear brake light led to numerous bothersome bulb replacements until dealer replaced a defective circuit board.

Occasional musty odor from ventilation system.

General Comments:

My wife drives the Venture more than I do and is very satisfied with it's performance to date. She likes the ability to remove and fold seats to accommodate various cargo requirements.

Comfort and performance have been satisfactory.

So far the vehicle has been fairly reliable and any repairs have been covered under warranty.

I would prefer a larger, higher and more heavy duty arm rest on the driver's seat. The current one sits too low for my liking.

Ample interior lighting.

I like the idea of the DC power outlet in the rear cargo area.

Headlights seem to under perform and may benefit from design improvement.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th October, 2004

15th Mar 2005, 18:07

Addendum to the comment about insufficient headlight capability.

With relatively little effort I added a small pair of Cibie driving/long range lights to the front of the Venture, in front of the molded slats/grille type area in the lower bumper surround. Did not have to drill any holes, was able to use pre-existing holes in lower front cross member behind bumper surround to bolt in small mounting brackets. The black body of the driving lights nicely integrates with the black bumper surround inserts - looks sharp (even wife agreed). I wired them with a relay and 30 amp fuse for safety (easy to do), and powered them with a lead off the high beam wire behind the front headlight (the owners manual says how to remove the headlight to change a bulb). The driving lights come on automatically with high beam - no switch required in cabin or dash - and light up almost a mile down the road, about 5000 feet (!) The standard high beams look like parking lights in comparison. Low beam lights seem to be OK as they are, but this relatively simple add-on really solved my high beam-insufficient light issue. My selling dealer has seen them several times, no flack from him on a leased vehicle - all the work is removable back to original status very easily, with no "scars" at no cost. I got the lights on Ebay quite cheap, also.

27th Jan 2008, 14:19

My 2002 Venture mini van had a head gasket replaced 2 years ago, for close to $2,000. Now it is being replaced again. The engine never boiled over. I think it has to be a manufacture defect, but no way to prove it.