Yeah, from 1999 to 2010 I had two of these as company vehicles, got both brand new, a 1999 and then a 2004. But, we rarely get a lot of snow here in N. Virginia-until 3 years ago we got back to back blizzards-like 40" of snow total. It was then that I really got to see what the all wheel drive could do-no, it wouldn't go through 40" of snow, but once the roads were plowed (that took days) they only plowed the snow down to depth of 8-9 inches. The Astro was amazing! It just blasted right through the snow. I also owned a Jeep Wrangler back in the early 90's, while the Astro wasn't as good as the Jeep in snow, it was far more comfortable. If I could fit some of a Westy interior in the Astro, I'd have kind of a "Syncro" camper, for a lot less money! Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> On Oct 19, 2012, at 8:38 PM, J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
> my newest project- a 1998 Chevy Astro with all wheel drive. It's a
> little too small to cram a Westy interior into, but there is also (or
> was) a company that puts pop top roofs on Astro/Safari vans. I can't
> vouch for their off road abilities, but I do know they are unstoppable
> in snow. There is also a company that sells lift kits for them as
> well.
> The man I bought my current van from bought one of those new. Shipped
> it to Canada to have "that conversion" done.
> Loves it. Takes the camping stuff out in the winter, puts the seats
> in, and takes 6-8 people skiing. He agrees with you
> that it tracks real well in snowy, crummy road conditions.
> bob