The Chevrolet Astro mini-van made its debut in 1985. It was unique in that it was intended to provide the comfort of a passenger van with the strength of a truck; it had a truck frame, and a 6-cylinder, 190 hp, 4.3-liter engine. It was roomy, too; owner fans gushed about its ability to haul plywood, sheetrock, or many passengers and their gear with ease. It could also tow boats and other large toys.

The 2002 Chevrolet Astro has a sliding door on the passenger's side and cargo doors in back. You can remove the rear seats to gain more space, but the seats are heavy and best removed by two people working together.

The only significant upgrades Chevrolet made to its 2002 Astro were adding multi-port fuel injection to the engine for better efficiency, and redesigning the catalytic converter to reduce emission pollution. Already, by 2002, it was rumored that Chevrolet was going to discontinue the Astro soon (2005 was its last year).

Many owners love their 2002 Astros, many of them buying Astros again and again over the years. Favorite features are the comfort, space, and hauling capacity. However, 2002 Astros, like their ancestors in previous years, are sometimes plagued with maintenance problems, ranging from such major items as the transmission and brakes to flimsiness on the interior.