The Dutch government offers the Chevrolet Astro, an unsafe camper

Every year the government confiscates cars for many reasons. These are sold by the Ministry of Finance. Although most cars are not worth seeing, sometimes gems appear in the showroom of Domeinen Roerende Zaken.

This time there is a very nice car for sale: the Chevrolet Astro camper. You can bid on the vehicle through the government website. If you make the highest bid, you can take the car. This amount is not what you should pay for your new car. On top of your bid is a ‘buyer’s fee’ of 15 percent.

Chevrolet Astro

The Chevrolet Astro, also known as the GMC Safari, has been produced since 1985. Although many car enthusiasts will immediately think of V8 when they think of American cars, the ‘van’ was only offered with four and six cylinders. The second generation – after 1995 – was only built with a 4.3 liter V6.

The power source, in the second generation, is good for 190 hp and drives only eight wheels, 4WD expansion is not possible. There is a system on board with low and high gear, making the bus ideal as an adventurous camper.

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In terms of safety, according to the American NCAP, the ‘Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’, it is better not to go for the Chevrolet Astro. The agency showed in 1996 that a crash of 64 kilometers per hour would cause the structure to fail.

The underside of the test bus gave way and the front seats slid forward, pushing the crash dummy against the dashboard and steering wheel. Conclusion: “Little living room for the driver.”

Camper in the government

Safe or not, the Chevrolet Astro was once adopted by the government as a Dutch road camper. As far as we know, there is no gas tank on board, so you run on gasoline. With a highway consumption of about 1 liter per 9 km, you will have to stop at the pump a few times on the way to the south of France. Chevrolet Astro has 87,298 miles (140,493 km). The copy is from 1996 and was registered with a Dutch license number in 2016.

though racing car if ‘camping’ is on the license plate, the kitchen unit is missing. At the back we find a type of bed made of the same leather as the usual American king chairs.

The exterior has seen its best days. For example, the lower front bumper needs to be replaced and there is a large hole in the rear bumper. However, after some renovation you can run a special camp that you don’t see much in the Netherlands.