5k: Vantastic! 1985 GMC Safari

The Chevy Astro van was built for moms who didn’t want to haul six bratty kids to hockey practice – they could haul seven, in rear-wheel drive fashion. With a V8 up front and custom drivetrain in the back, this one has traded PTA meetings for time slips. Find this 1985 GMC Safari for $6,500 in Rochester, MN.  Words and tip from DT commenter & contributor  slowcarSLOW-MPGlol. 

Peeking through the tinted side windows reveals the ever-so-intriguing hand-fabricated lump
in the cargo area, which would be the first indicator of this car’s
rapscallion nature if you somehow missed the alleged $10,000 paint job.

That paint begs serious questions: what paint shop
would spray a paint scheme so reminiscent of the barbed wire tattoos
adorning the biceps on every high-school bully in 2003? Who valued it at
$10,000? Better yet, who paid the $10k, drove it 100 miles, and then
put the whole thing on Craigslist for $6,500?

Paint aside, this box ain’t bad. Big engine swaps
are common on GM vans, and this one has all the supplementary parts –
Ford 9″ rear, 350 trans, meaty tires – to put the power to the ground
easily. These things weighed around 4,000 pounds new, so expect 1970s
muscle car performance. For a van accustomed to leaving oil spots at
grandma’s on Thanksgiving, that is pretty sweet.

See a better car that traded seat rows for cylinders? Email us at tips@dailyturismo.com. 

Big thanks to slowcarSLOW-MPGlol to sending in this tip complete with a functioning story to surround the images!