[99SLEG80AWD]

One of the things I absolutely hated about driving the Puck Van was backing up. The Puck Van was a 1999 GMC Safari SLE with barn doors. The annoying part was that the barn doors went right down the middle of the rear view mirror. At least with the Dutch doors one had a clear view out the back. My dad let me drive the 2000 GMC Safari conversion we had when I was 14. Our Safari had Dutch doors. My dad hated the Dutch doors, but the rear window had was easier to see out of.

What do you veteran Astro/Safari owners think? Should I get a van with Dutch doors or barn doors? I think the barn doors are cooler, by the way.

Our 2000 GMC Safari developed this electrical problem in like 2003 that prevented us from opening the lift-up part of the Dutch doors and we were reduced to loading the van from the inside until the dealer fixed it.

 

[markmitch]

I have barn doors and I am used to them but I have never driven a van with dutch doors but I knew a guy that had a van with dutch doors and I walked into the hatch so that was enough for me to not want them. (the lift devices were severely warn)

 

[Mmusicman]

What do you veteran Astro/Safari owners think? Should I get a van with Dutch doors or barn doors? I think the barn doors are cooler, by the way.

Get one with barn doors.. you think they are cooler.

 

[AstroWill]

I think I will show myself to the door, barn door that is as I have heard they are cooler.

 

[Leeann_93]

I have both. I prefer the Dutch doors. Easier to see out of, defrost in the winter, wiper whenever.

 

[multimoto]

bump

I like the cargo doors. the DDs look useful for hauling long stuff so you can hang it out the back but the roof rack works good enough for that. besides the occasional rain cover, that about the only advantages to having the DDs. what am I missing?

cargo doors look better for sure, especially the real ones with no windows. blind spot? pfft..

I guess it was too much of a hassle for GM to make, instead of three DDs, a hatch as it is and a tail gate below it.

three rear doors just always seemed like a half assed design to me. even one Big hatch with a full opening window in it would have been better than that. or why not one big door that swings to the side like on the old dodge vans?

what kinda doofs came up with 'Dutch Doors'? LOL

 

[TurnNburn]

I don't know where the name came from, and they always leak, but I do really enjoy the view

 

[multimoto]

now thats a room with a view!

the cargo doors swing all the way out just like the lower two DDs though. but that reminded me, it easier to back a boat or trailer into an awkward space with a hatch to flip open.

 

[AstroWill]

The barn doors seem to have less problems with leakage, I also want the rear glass that tilts outward on both of the rear doors(with added screens), so I will be going for barn doors on my final Astro.

 

[multimoto]

the pop out rear windows are nice and they are fairly easy to remove completely. I do that on the left side door and made an 5000BTU A/C panel that I put in. all it required was to drill some holes in the pinch weld to mount it and the pop up window gasket is not glued and covers those bolt holes I made up when not in use. even made a cover for the exterior of the A/C that flips up then covers it completely when on the road. painted it all black so the whole thing doesnt look so ugly when traveling.

If you can find a glass company that can drill holes in the DDs back window (after youve removed it), you could use the cargo door pop out window or the side pop out window hardware to make the DDs rear glass pop out. Im pretty sure the pop out windows gasket seal would also work if you spliced two together.

 

[90safari]

The only problem I've ever had with the barn doors is the key/mechanical lock rusting up from not being excersized. I don't know if it happens with Dutch Doors, as I've never owned 1 and only spent a week with one (mostly hitting my head on the damn thing) in the summer a couple of years ago.

I don't know what happens, maybe it's because most of them I've delt with that had this problem also had power door locks, so the key part of the locking system never got used.

The most annoying thing I dislike about our van doors is the lack of an inside door handle. On our old 86, when we got it, it was locked up and never opened. In fact the guy I got from never was able to use it as it had been locked for him too. I ended up peeling the fiberglass trim off from the inside (not a great idea) so I could get to the pressboard inner (with thin carpet covering) off to access the door and lock rods. I ended up cutting the pressboard loose from the thin carpet in the upper right hand corner of it so I could open it from the inside, after making a lower sideways slice across the lower opening I made. This allowed me to use the rods to open and unlock the rear door from the inside. Then I had the fun job of putting it all back together. At least the door works now.

 

[CougarsLS]

I've had both another nice thing about the duch doors is they keep you and the van dry when you load things on a rainy day plus having a window defogger and wiper.

 

[graygoblin1980]

One of the things I absolutely hated about driving the Puck Van was backing up. The Puck Van was a 1999 GMC Safari SLE with barn doors. The annoying part was that the barn doors went right down the middle of the rear view mirror. At least with the Dutch doors one had a clear view out the back. My dad let me drive the 2000 GMC Safari conversion we had when I was 14. Our Safari had Dutch doors. My dad hated the Dutch doors, but the rear window had was easier to see out of. What do you veteran Astro/Safari owners think? Should I get a van with Dutch doors or barn doors? I think the barn doors are cooler, by the way. Our 2000 GMC Safari developed this electrical problem in like 2003 that prevented us from opening the lift-up part of the Dutch doors and we were reduced to loading the van from the inside until the dealer fixed it.

 

[graygoblin1980]

One of the things I absolutely hated about driving the Puck Van was backing up. The Puck Van was a 1999 GMC Safari SLE with barn doors. The annoying part was that the barn doors went right down the middle of the rear view mirror. At least with the Dutch doors one had a clear view out the back. My dad let me drive the 2000 GMC Safari conversion we had when I was 14. Our Safari had Dutch doors. My dad hated the Dutch doors, but the rear window had was easier to see out of.

What do you veteran Astro/Safari owners think? Should I get a van with Dutch doors or barn doors? I think the barn doors are cooler, by the way.

Our 2000 GMC Safari developed this electrical problem in like 2003 that prevented us from opening the lift-up part of the Dutch doors and we were reduced to loading the van from the inside until the dealer fixed it.

I personally

One of the things I absolutely hated about driving the Puck Van was backing up. The Puck Van was a 1999 GMC Safari SLE with barn doors. The annoying part was that the barn doors went right down the middle of the rear view mirror. At least with the Dutch doors one had a clear view out the back. My dad let me drive the 2000 GMC Safari conversion we had when I was 14. Our Safari had Dutch doors. My dad hated the Dutch doors, but the rear window had was easier to see out of.

What do you veteran Astro/Safari owners think? Should I get a van with Dutch doors or barn doors? I think the barn doors are cooler, by the way.

Our 2000 GMC Safari developed this electrical problem in like 2003 that prevented us from opening the lift-up part of the Dutch doors and we were reduced to loading the van from the inside until the dealer fixed it.

I personally prefer the barn doors they last longer if taken cared for overall with some lithium grease applied on them twice a year... You could always install a backup camera in your Astro or Safari van if absolutely necessary and I personally recommend it even though it's not a necessity! The dutch doors suck and the components including wiper blades and hinge sprockets as well as the locking mechanisms will eventually break and or jam up! Sure the barn doors can break as well but I guarantee you they will last far longer before needing new parts! Barn doors are the best value in my opinion and worth installing if you don't already have them!