Astrovan replacement?

This crowd is always good for "what car thread"

A friend on mines mother drives a 2002 Astrovan that's starting to nickle and dime her.     What would you replace it with?   She doesn't want the tech features commonly found on newer vehicles.

What's a comparable modern vehicle?

2011+ mopar vans got the 3.6L Pentastar engine, I imagine one of those in a more base level trim may not have too many fancy or confusing features. Hard to go wrong with many of the other minivan options either. 

As a bonus she will be getting way better gas mileage than the Astro. 

There really isnt a comparable replacement to the mid sized Astro anymore. You either have to go Fullsize van or minivan unless she wants something completely different.. 

Find a nice one down south. They have long since bottomed out on price so even a nice, low milage one is pretty cheap compared to other vans it's age.

While I do love me an Astro, I will point out even a nice one still features early 2000's GM electronics though. 

I agree - get the nicest 80K mile Astro you can find.

Off Topic:

As I was driving my 2003 WRX to work today, I was thinking how great cars were from the early 00's.  Modern enough to do everything and still keep up with traffic, simple enough to be - well - simple.  Its got enough creature comforts, but still nice and simple without too many gee-gaws to leave you broke down somewhere.  

What is the Astro mainly used for? Cargo or people?  

Otherwise, I agree with the GC/T&C suggestion.  My base-level 2008 GC is incredibly devoid of modern gizmos and gadgets. 

In reply to Ian F :

Sounds like occasional cargo.

Used Transit Connects (even the second gen) seem to depreciate relatively quickly.  A 2nd gen passenger model in Titanium trim is something I think about occasionally.  Should be able to do anything an Astro can, except tow.

Is a Flex in her price range?  They were great truck/van/cuv/suv things that nobody bought.  They are pretty cheap for what you get.  Fold down the seats and you have a full 4x8 in the back, more if you fold down the front passenger seat.

Careful shopping on an earlier Flex can keep it under 10k

Curtis said:

Is a Flex in her price range?  They were great truck/van/cuv/suv things that nobody bought.  They are pretty cheap for what you get.  Fold down the seats and you have a full 4x8 in the back, more if you fold down the front passenger seat.

Careful shopping on an earlier Flex can keep it under 10k

The Flex are great vehicles, but they do not fit a 4x8 in the back. Not even close. I tried 

transit connect is way small than an astro van.  the closest current thing is a mercedes metris.  Personally I'd go with a caravan.  I've got an 09 with the good ol' 3.3/4spd auto combo and it's only "fancy" option is bluetooth on the radio.  It does have 4 doors, 4 roll down windows, seats fold into the floor and rear HVAC.  We paid 10k for it 5 years ago with 105k on it.  hasn't had any major issues that weren't caused by poor driving skill, yet.

Find a Caravan C/V which will be a stripped out model and often pretty well maintained due to fleet use.

Another option would be to look at Government auctions as local schools, etc often use smaller cargo vans that don't get heavily used except as commuting between buildings.

I had no idea that the Astro/Safari product made it so far into the new millenium.  Last model year was 2005.  I will side with those who suggest finding a nice low-mileage example from a favorable climate.  There is no comparable vehicle sold in the U.S. today.

We have an 05 AWD that we love.  Got it 5 years ago at 83000 miles.  Needed idler arms twice, awd servo, brakes, plugs,  wires, air filter,  and oil changes. Now it needs a windshield and the A/C no longer cools (possible leak in the rear). It's a beast in the snow on all seasons and has served us well as dog transport, furniture hauler,  and tow vehicle for my car addiction. But it's now 12 years old, starting to rust, gets mediocre fuel mileage, and we could use more room for dog crates.  Been looking at Ram Promasters for a few reasons.  SWB model low roof not much larger than the Astro.  Wife can stand up in the low roof because fwd allows low load floor.  One year old Masters can be had for under $20k with less than 15k miles on them from Enterprise. That's where I'd look.