Hello all,

Wanted to get some advice on the ford mini vans out there from those that own/drive/repair them.

Getting ready to buy a good used Ford mini van in the coming weeks, would like to get an idea of what years are best/worst.

What are some of the common problems they have (engine/tranny, electrical or ???) and what years/models to stay away from, or models that have a lot of issues...

Budget is up to $4000.
Plan to do some mods on it to make it a little nicer etc....

Thx in advance
Ben

 

hi,
buy the one in the best undisturbed, undamaged, unmolested condition you can find.

all of them will have issues. some minor, some to walk away from.

The last year for Aerostar was 1997. There is no best year, I have owned Aerostar since their first year, 1986. Still love them.

 

Do yourself a favor and buy a Caravan......

Sorry a little bitter at the moment.


Aerostar- I would rate it second right now on the list. It doesn't help to have one that has turned into a money pit.

86-95 there have been minor changes and upgrades but nothing major.

96- OBD-II and has an electronic transmission instead of a vacuum modulated transmission. Also added re-enforcement beams along the side to improve side impact protection.

97- 5-speed trans was introduced for the AWD/4.0L

These vans are getting old and parts are starting to get scarce. Luckily the Engine/Trans parts are interchangeable with the Explorer/Ranger which help with AM parts availability.

Reliability is the only thing. Very well known for blown head-gaskets and weak transmissions, and lower body rot.

Plus side, very comfy, large interior, and off the line go like a bat out of hell. Also the AWD is one of the best for Winter road conditions. It guts through ice and snow like nothing compared to 4WD pickups.

Windstar - Just stay away, electrical gremlins, rust issues, trans issues, blown head-gaskets, intake gaskets. It was a bad idea to enlarge a Taurus and do nothing with the drive-train in re-enforcement.

Villager - Generally very reliable, but being a re-badged Quest and limited run, parts are non-existant.

Freestar/Montery - Right now I would rate these on top with reliability and for bang for your buck. Quite a few low millage models out there and for $4g's you could get one for under 100k mi pretty nicely loaded with more modern comforts (heated seats, leather, DVD, back up sensors, ect.)

Take it for what you will, owning an Aero is a love/hate relationship and as you can see there are quite a few old timers here still trucking along.

 

I can add that not all Aerostar are rotted, mine is like new underneath, the paint still looks fresh underneath, outside and inside. So you can find a like-new Aerostar, it’s not impossible, took me 4 months to find mine. But $4 grand? where’s the rest? hahaa!!

look for one that does not have crushed rocker panels, that has been an issue with these vans since 1986; When they are raised, they put the lift arms at the bottom edge of the rocker panel and crush them upwards when lifting the van by putting the entire weight of the van on the rocker panels which get crushed like butter. I believe this distorts the entire body, makes it "out of square" if you know what I mean. So in 4 months of looking for my 3rd Aerostar, I knew what to look for: No Crushed Rocker Panels. I found one without damaged rocker panels, pristine. I go by the saying, "seek and ye shall find". Makes a lot of sense to me.

I own two classic Jags, when I was looking for these cars 25 and 10 years ago, I knew what to look for too: I was looking for no rot and not a spec of rust, no accident damage, and good maintenance by the owner. Service receipts always say a lot about the owner and the life the car has lived.

stay away from cars above the Mason Dixon line; Northern cars, those are usually the rotted ones. Look for Southern or Western cars only if you want one like new.

Look for a van with medium mileage, up to 200k, above 200 I would keep looking.

Feliz Navidad !

 

as far as the Caravan and Grand Caravan, I drove in a fleet of them for the last 6 months, and I was impressed at their handling, the power, and many other good things.

But it does not have as much space as my Extended Aerostar, AND all the vans in the fleet had the same suspicious electrical glitches, I did not like the electrical problems, they were repeated in every Caravan and Grand Caravan van I drove. Not good, always blowing fuses, spikes and surges in the electrical system, I couldn't trust that one day the electricals were going to leave me stranded. The Aerostar has been more stable electrically. I trust it.

that's my experience with the Caravans.

 

You'll find a lot of Aerostar fans here. I presently own 3 of them - two '97s and a '96. They're all the short 3.0L versions. I found them on Craig's List for around $1000. Other than some rotted evap emissions hoses, I haven't noticed any common problems. The longer version usually features the 4.0L engine and I've heard several say the intake manifold gaskets are prone to leak until good gaskets replace the originals. Very many of the longer 4.0L models also feature full time all wheel drive. I have no experience with that but have heard about a broken mount problem that often needs welding.

If you're handy with repairs, do what I and others on this forum have done and look for a well cared for Aerostar. Because the last one was made 17 years ago, it may take a while to find a good one. The driver's seats are often broken down but if you can find a junkyard with some still left, the passenger seat can be swapped to the driver's side.

If you go overboard like I have and buy too many, your wife will let you know - like mine does.

Stay away from the front wheel drive Windstar which Ford brought out after the Aerostar. I always heard the older Chrysler vans had transmission issues.

 

A caravan? Anyone that buys a Chrysler product deserves everything they get with it.

The Aerostar may be the best vehicle ever produced. Obama should have his a$$ kicked for including them in his “Cash for clunkers” giveaway of taxpayer dollars.
I have two with the 3 liter engine. Accessories and wear items are all I’ve ever had to replace. The 97 with over 220,000 miles parks on concrete and never drips anything but water from the A/C. The 87 which has 424 miles on the odometer for the fourth time has a leaking valve cover gasket that I swear I’m going to fix one day.

They are roomy, comfortable, and easy to drive. The shorty parallel parks as easy as any sedan I have ever driven. The design is such that the driver sits high up while the van is low to the ground on big fat soft riding 14 inch tires.

As for the Windstar and Freestar, the number one problem with them is the engine is in there sideways.

 

I seem to recall someone saying that the Windstar and Freestar were each worse than the vans that they replaced.

For me, the number one problem with all minivans today is none of them pass the plywood test. The extended Aerostar can hold a full sheet of plywood with the rear hatch closed (as can a Chevrolet Astro, and maybe some of the older Chrysler minivans). I don't haul plywood often, but it's great to be able to when I need to. I figure that if I have to drive a big lumbering vehicle, it should at least be able to have some utility features that are implied with such vehicles. Which is what mystifies me about the class of cars known as "SUV's"; they're not sporty, and have less utility than a typical minivan, new or old.

Actually, most of that law was written by GM, in an attempt to sell Hummers and other large SUVs in an era of $4+/gallon of gas. It would have been a pure gift to them if it wasn't for the increase mpg mandate slipped in. Most of use who knew the value of our vehicles didn't take the bait.

 

Towards the end of the “cash for clunkers” program I went to a pull-a-part with a friend looking for a part for his K5 Blazer. The lot was full of Aerostars. You could have found any part wanted except the engine. They had poured something into the oil that froze the engine. It made me sick. Anyone that would cause that many perfectly good vehicles to be destroyed should have to walk for the rest of their life.

 

Hi all, thanks for the good info, wanted to float another question concerning these vans....

I'm looking at buying this for the wife hauling around the little yahoo's, and hauling around visiting family when they visit, and in Phoenix in the summer at 110-120 degrees outside a breakdown could become serious, so reliability is a major concern for me.

What would be a ball park figure to have the engine rebuilt, and or the trans rebuilt. I know that is a question with variables, so just wondering about a range say 1-2K, 2-3K, 4-5K...

Is it worth doing that on these vans???

Thx

 

rebuilt ransmissions are sold by a number of rebuilders, around $1,600. installed.

I doubt you will have to rebuild the engine, but you will have to eventually replace peripherals like alternator, power steering pump, battery, sensors, water pump, etc., etc., and to a lesser degree, the starter and fuel pump, i.e., everything that attaches to the engine.

if you have to rebuild the engine, you bought the wrong van. If it is for the wife, buy her a Kia minivan.

 

Don't waste money repairing something that isn't broke.
Breakdowns are seldom caused by the mechanical part of the engine or drive train.
Breakdowns are caused by the little things like tires, batteries, belts, an alternator or fuel pump going bad, a sensor failure, a water hose breaks, etc. Some of these can be inspected and tested for wear and replaced. Others can't and to try and replace them all in the name of reliability is too costly and silly. Even brand new vehicles break down.

 

With most cars, if you take good care of them with regular maintenance, you can expect reliable performance. But this seems to be an exception with a lot of the Chrysler cars. The transmissions in their early minivans are known to have very poor reliability, and that's something that WILL leave you stranded.

If you want a reliable people hauler, look for a Toyota Sienna. Practice good maintenance habits to reduce the chances of on-road failures. Then, if this vehicle will be mostly driven by the wife and family, buy some kind of road-side assistance plan, such as AAA.

 

the problem is the budget; $4k will not buy a Toyota Sienna unless it's a junker, same for a Kia.

 

Budget wise I'm setting that at around $4K. to buy the van max.

Initially we looked at getting a good used Flex ($15-20K) or even going new for a Flex ($27K and up), I just don't want those kind of payments right now for a kid hauler that will get heavily used for the next 4-6 yrs.

The problem is that I'm looking for a 7 Pax vehicle, and that leaves me with few options.
I wold like to stay Ford, and my line of thinking was to find a good used van (I found them in the $2-4K ballpark) then throw $1-2K at it to make it nice and some what reliable.

When I say reliable I understand noting is "bullet proof"... at 15,000 miles my brand new 2011 Mustang's engine blew under normal use, Ford replaced the complete engine... I just want to reasonably expect (after fixing it up, initial maintenance etc...) the van to get me from A - B without issues.

Currently selling my 2005 F-150, should get around $9K for it, would like to earmark $6k or less to buy, clean, and fix up the mini van for the wife, rest of the $ would go to my new to me 04 F-250 6.0 Diesel, which some of you may know of the issues and fixes needed for the 6.0. $$$....

So, with that budget and expectations, is it possible to find a Ford mini van, or do I need to go to another manufacturer???

With Ford what options do I have, Aerostar, Windstar, Freestar, other???

BTW, thanks to all, a lot of good info for me to go on...

Ben