At $10,000, Could This 1996 Pontiac Trans Sport Get You Excited About A Minivan?

I'm not saying that today's Nice Price or No Dice Trans Sport is the coolest minivan model on the planet, but it certainly is one of the top contenders. Let's see whether this extremely low-mileage '90s survivor's price is something we can contend with.

If the 1991 Infiniti M30 we looked at yesterday had carried the same name as its home-market Nissan source model — Leopard — it would have been much more memorable a car. After all, Leopard is a way better name than M30. The car itself was all kinds of just-OK, although our car's convertible roof offers something that contemporary competitors from Acura and Lexus didn't. Also being in what appeared to be very nice shape, and sporting some new canvas on that convertible top, made our M30's $6,500 price look like something worth considering. You all considered it and a 64 percent Nice Price win for the Infiniti resulted.

We all know that van life, overlanding, and other non-traditional camping activities are all the rage these days. This sort of Instagram and YouTube fodder has made vans cool once again. The first time that vans became something that everybody wanted was during the heyday of the Minivan, back in the 1980s. Like all things overdone (I'm looking at you, seemingly unending panoply of mediocre Star Wars TV shows), the minivan eventually fell out of favor because of its ubiquity.

Chrysler dominated the minivan market for decades, but in the '80s and '90s, pretty much every mass-market auto maker had a similar model on offer. Like the mid-size crossover today, it was something car buyers expected to see on dealer's lots.

Craigslist

The funkiest of the bunch were the trio of passenger-oriented minivans introduced by General Motors in 1990. Sold as the Chevrolet Lumina APV, the Oldsmobile Silhouette, and Pontiac Trans Sport, these one-box people movers all shared the same basic body design, but were differentiated by grille shapes, paint schemes, and wheel patterns. Dubbed the "Dustbuster Vans" due to their shape being reminiscent of Black & Decker's popular hand-held vacuum, the trio wasn't just the most out-there in styling, they were also the most innovative in construction.

While competitors from Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, and others were built in traditional steel unibody fashion, the GM vans were built using a steel spaceframe onto which plastic and steel body panels were mounted. This is the same design that the company was using on another Pontiac model, the Fiero, and which would become the cornerstone of the Saturn Car Company in the 1990s. Underneath all that sits a front-wheel-drive chassis that is derived from GM's mid-size sedan lines, with the vans nominally having replaced the wagons in that lineup.

This 1996 Pontiac Trans Sport SE represents the model following its first mid-cycle refresh. That means it's less Dustbustery with a shorter nose and more vertical bumper and grille. It also has a redesigned interior with a driver's side airbag. According to the ad, this van has only 20,913 "documented, actual miles" on the clock. The explanation given is that it was used only on weekends to attend craft shows.

The seller accurately notes that there just aren't any of these vans left around, and any that are will likely not be in as nice of shape as this one. The best part is that the van's design is just as funky today as it was back in the '90s. The one-box design results in a windscreen that's almost impossible to clean on the inside, but offers amazing views. It's also roomy, offering seven-passenger seating and plenty of cargo space in the back-back.

Everything looks to be in terrific condition on this van, and a recent detailing means it's clean and tidy as well. Per the ad, it's mechanically sound. Power comes from a GM 3.4-liter LA1 OHV V6 with fuel injection that makes 180 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. Mated to that, and driving the front wheels, is a 4T60 four-speed automatic with column shift. The ad says that the van has seen its fluids changed, and other mechanical malfunctions have been addressed. A new windscreen (that must have cost a bundle) and new battery have also been installed. 

Craigslist

Original parts include two keyfob remotes and the factory floor mats. Amazingly, even the original back of seat netting looks to be in great shape. All electronics, including the power sliding door, are also said to function correctly. on the outside, the bodywork appears to be free of any flaws, and the rear end offers both a full hatch and an opening window for lighter loads.

It's not all peas and carrots here, though. Per the seller, the van's headliner is dropping and in need of replacement. How easy will that be to do? It also has an alarming amount of surface rust on the undercarriage. That's the direct result of the van having spent its life in Ohio.

None of it looks too terrible, but it's a bit of a shock to see when the rest of the vehicle is so clean and seemingly free of wear and tear. On the plus side, none of that appears to be structural, and the van doesn't look to have ever been involved in an accident. Of course, having done only 20K, there were few opportunities to get into any kind of mischief.

Craigslist

In the pictures, the cabin looks like a nice place to spend some time, and the cloth-covered seats appear pretty comfy. There are captain's chairs in the first two rows and a bench in back. A clean title and current tags should make this a turnkey deal as well.

That's not going to happen, though, should the price prove unpalatable. That price is $10,000, which is a lot to ask for an old, albeit funky minivan. Plus, just how many minivan collectors are there in the world?

Should that special someone who's looking to add a Trans Sport to their collection actually be out there, is it reasonable for them to consider this one at that $10K price? It is, after all, probably the nicest one there is. And as it's been said, they ain't making 'em like that any more.

What do you say? Is this Trans Sport worth its asking? Or is that price something this minivan's too small to carry?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

Minneapolis, Montana, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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