Moonbeam

The Declasse Moonbeam is a four-door minivan featured in:
 * Grand Theft Auto III
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
 * Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
 * Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
 * Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
 * Grand Theft Auto IV

Design
Between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories, the Moonbeam is straightforwardly modeled after a 1985—1994 Chevrolet Astro/1985—1994 GMC Safari, but it has tall taillights. The GTA Vice City version's taillights are similar to those found on 1992-1994 Ford Econoline vans. Some versions of the Moonbeam have rear fog lights attached to the rear bumper. Minor cosmetic changes have been made throughout its appearances, but the van has generally retained its bulky 1980s design, making it unattractive in all its appearances. Whilst the GTA Liberty City Stories rendition of the Moonbeam is based on that of GTA III, the GTA Vice City Stories rendition adopts the design of the GTA Liberty City Stories or GTA III rendition, instead of the usual GTA Vice City rendition.

During development of GTA III, the van was originally known as the "Aster", a clear reference to the Chevrolet Astro name. The van is depicted in the Capital Autos website.

Performance
Moonbeams between GTA III and GTA Vice City Stories all possess similar handling properties. Performance is poor, due to the underpowered engines, rear wheel drive layouts (Moonbeams in GTA III and Vice City are front-wheel drive), heavy bodies, soft suspension, and high center of gravity (leading to a tendency to flip on rough terrains); as a result, the Moonbeam is generally unsuitable for high-speed driving and has little practical use aside its fundamental function as a mode of transport. The Moonbeam only holds a maximum of four occupants.

Modifications

 * The Moonbeam can only be modified in a TransFender garage.

Design
In GTA IV, the Moonbeam (now with a Declasse manufacturer badge) is still based on a 1985—1994 Chevrolet Astro/1985—1994 GMC Safari but the front end has been greatly altered, incorporating more realistic detailing and design cues, as well as supporting one-tone or two-tone body colors. All Moonbeams are only found in conversion form, and are based off incomplete cargo versions without rear quarter windows or passenger versions with rear quarter windows. The tail lights resemble those of the KK Jeep Liberty.

The Moonbeam can be found in several different configurations, with optional rear-mounted continental tire and ladder, elevated aero roof, roof-mounted luggage bars, a custom billet grille that covers the headlamps, and either one of two types of side scuffs.

Performance
The GTA IV rendition of the Moonbeam is powered by a diesel V6, unlike the GTA III era Moonbeams which have gas engines, and features a rear wheel drive layout, however its lack of power makes this characteristic negligible; with a top speed 155 mph, the Moonbeam drives as slowly as its predecessors, and still suffers from understeer. Frustratingly, the Moonbeam fails to withstand a large amount of damage, as its large size would suggest.

GTA IV
A Moonbeam is requested as part of Stevie's Car Thefts, appearing with a uniquely black and red body. As a new Moonbeam will respawn at the same spot until the player delivers one to S&M Auto Sales, the player can save one at their safehouse before delivering another.

GTA III

 * Garage 30 north of Momma's Restaurante, Saint Mark's, Portland.
 * In the departments of Hepburn Heights, Portland.
 * In Callahan Point, Portland.
 * In the Carson General Hospital in Rockford, Staunton Island.
 * In the Liberty Tree offices in Bedford Point, Staunton Island.

GTA Vice City

 * Commmonly driving around Vice Point.

GTA San Andreas

 * Commonly seen driving around Los Santos especially Idlewood.
 * Parked outside The Pig Pen in East Los Santos, Los Santos.

GTA Liberty City Stories

 * Found driving around in Saint Mark's.
 * In the parking lot of the Ferry Terminal in Harwood, Portland.
 * In the underground parking lot of AMCo. Headquarters in Torrington, Staunton Island.

GTA Vice City Stories

 * Seen driving around at the Escobar International Airport.
 * Commmonly driving around in Little Haiti.

GTA IV + Episodes from Liberty City

 * Commonly found in Broker, Bohan, and the west end of Alderney.
 * Commonly seen in Middle Park East.
 * Very common on Charge Island, Bohan Industrial, and Colony Island.

Trivia

 * The Moonbeam originally had sliding rear doors, although technical limitations made it impossible.
 * The Moonbeam plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
 * West Coast Talk Radio in GTA San Andreas.
 * Integrity 2.0, WKTT Radio or PLR in GTA IV.
 * The Moonbeam may get its name due to the real-life variant Chevrolet Astro, as they both share names with astronomical themes. This is also further proven by the beta name, the Aster.
 * The Moonbeam in GTA Vice City, along with the game's Bobcat, is one of the earliest vehicles in the series to physically depict its name; sporting a "MOONBEAM" badge on its trunk lid.
 * Driving a Moonbeam into the TransFender in Las Venturas will cause the vehicle to spawn on top of the garage but underneath the roof, trapping the player and the vehicle. At this point the player can only escape by blowing themselves up, re-loading the game's save file, or re-loading the game itself.
 * After collecting all thirty cars for Stevie in GTA IV, he agrees to purchase cars from Niko Bellic, with the Moonbeam fetching $2,200.
 * In the beta for GTA Vice City, the Moonbeam was originally implied, just as planned originally for GTA III, to have sliding rear doors.
 * In GTA IV the Moonbeam is equipped with the "door ajar" bong when the driver's door is opened.
 * In GTA IV it is impossible to do a burnout with the Moonbeam, possibly due to the excessively heavy weight, or the highly-underpowered engine.
 * The Moonbeam is strangely not classified as a "people carrier" in Race Mode, but instead paired with the Speedo, Burrito and Pony in the "vans" class. All Moonbeams are passenger vehicles, but some are converted from incomplete vans that are essentially cargo vans manufactured without any interior except for door panels and a dashboard. This is notable by the lack of rear quarter windows. This would make the Moonbeam a commercial van, although its physical size in comparison to most other vehicles in the class make it fit into the minivan dimensions.
 * The poor handling and performance of the Moonbeam comes from the fact that the real life Astro and Safari vans are similarly poor in performance and handling.
 * The Moonbeam was one of the Beta Vehicles in Grand Theft Auto V but was removed and replaced with the Paradise, a van poorly retrofitted into a camper based on the Rumpo.