Chevrolet Venture or Hyundai Starex Crdi

HBT · January 2005

Given both family vans at about the same price range (P 1.199m for venture and P 1.176m for starex crdi a/t), which one would you rather buy and why?

OTEP R · January 2005

Hyundai Starex. Preferably an SVX 4WD variant.

Don't even ask how much the repair and maintenance is on a Venture.

HBT · January 2005

OTEP R wrote:

Hyundai Starex. Preferably an SVX 4WD variant.

Don't even ask how much the repair and maintenance is on a Venture.

Thanks OTEP for your opinion and pictures :-)

mrtwenty1 · January 2005

if you choose the starex.. one thing i could say to you is your riding a van that is not rust proof. i have a friend who undercoats cars and he say that starex's are madaling kapitan ng kalawang.. kahit kakaundercoat mo palang cgurado daw meron... and is korean made.. well the venture is china made but monitored by GM.. if the difference is only small i go for the venture..

OTEP R · January 2005

The rust problem was already solved with the advent of the Millenium series (the ones with the toothy chrome grill). Hyundai no longer used water-retaining foam insulation behind the body panels (which was the primary cause of the rusting) from this model up to the present GRX series.

The Millenium Starex Club 4x4 brought in by my friend from the gray market in 2001 is still in mint (and rust free) condition up to now save for a few dings. The local unit of my girlfriend is also in a similar rust free condition. And the rest of the vehicle is holding up very well, too.

Maintenance cost is nil. Compare that to how much mbt (the Tsikot.com administrator who owns the blue Venture I towed) spends for the maintenance of his Venture. And that's for maintenance alone. How much he spends for repairs is a different subject altogether. Add to that the great service GM Autoworld provides (ever wonder why we had to tow the unit in OURSELVES?).

And what do you mean by "...and is Korean made..."? We have Kia, Hyundai and Ssangyong vehicles. All of them are holding up well and are very easy on the pocket. I spend more kilometers driving the Koreans than I do my Japanese rig and I'm not the least bit complaining.

shun_sakurai · January 2005

^ I would agree.

In terms of mechanicals alone, the Kia Pregio we owned was quite a solid motor. Do the requisite maintenance (change/check fluids, usually) and it won't let you down.

It's not fun to drive, but then again who buys a van for driving pleasure anyway?

jason_10 · January 2005

the starex is a better choice. but the platform of this vehicle is quite dated already. if im right, its still uses the same shell that was released way back in 98. for 7 years, puro facelifts lang. still i'd choose it over the chevy.

HBT · January 2005

Thanks guys for your valued opinions :-) For me, it all boils down to a question of comfort versus safety. Starex is obviously the more comfortable between the two. Very comfortable and flexible seats with very generous headroom. While Venture has more safety features with all disk brakes, ABS, and dual air bags.

slamm · January 2005

Try to check out on the crash ratings of the Venture, parang i heard it wasnt that great... havent checked it out yet though.

OTEP R · January 2005

Pasado naman ang Venture sa NHTSA crash test. But I don't think it fared that well sa IIHS.

Starex has the same rating as the Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear from which it was derived from.

ck2001 · January 2005

Heard OK nga daw Starex. Meron bang brand new Hyundai Starex variants that are less than P1 million? Just wondering.

HBT · January 2005

ck2001 wrote:

Heard OK nga daw Starex. Meron bang brand new Hyundai Starex variants that are less than P1 million? Just wondering.

Starex GRX Manual P 999,500.00. May free dvd head unit and monitor pa yata.

sixmiles · February 2005

get a kia carnival

mrtwenty1 · April 2005

i choose the venture

babajigalu · April 2005

there's something different in driving an american car from the others.but with the high cost of gas right now, i would rather get the starex.the initial cost difference may be small but you'll save a lot more in the long run.and the quality of korean made vehicles now have improved much...almost being at par with japanese vehicles.

shun_sakurai · April 2005

get a kia carnival

I've heard this is a good alternative to the Starex, too...if you're willing to forego a few seats. Surprising punch for a diesel---enough to humiliate a few compact sedans.

babajigalu · April 2005

do they still offer the carnival with the diesel engine?last time i looked they offer is the sedona cariant with the v6 engine.

mbt · April 2005

venture and starex are quite different. the venture is definitely more carlike, easier to drive, smoother, faster, quicker, more spacious, more comfortable, and softer-riding.

weak points (already been covered in other threads) are terrible build and materials quality, questionable durability, and expensive parts and service costs.

starex is truck-based, has more gorund clearance, has a higher driving position, is more frugal with fuel (we are comparing a diesel against a gas engine after all), and feels more airy (thanks to the higher roof and minimal wheelhouse intrusion) inside.

BOOGIECAT · April 2005

May Starex 4X4 GRX na sa ibang Hyundai dealers(hindi grey market ha!).Nasa 1.278.000 yung M/T at 1.395.000 yung A/T variant.Though indent order lang to(60 days waiting period)