It has been a long time since Ford last built a minivan in the form of the Windstar.

But I have an idea. Do you think Ford should resurrect the Windstar from the dead? I think so. Maybe they could make it incredibly luxurious. They could make the design of the Windstar sleeker, have 1st and 2nd row seats that are heated, cooled, and can give you a massage and MyFord Touch, and a 12 inch Rear DVD player that a lot of minivans have. It'd be awesome.

What do you guys think? Tell me your thoughts on this idea here.

 

Maybe with a different name. windstar just sounds so 90's to me for some reason

 

They should bring back the Ranger first. More need for that than another run of the mill minivan/SUV.

 

I personally must disagree. I think it should keep the Windstar name.

 

Nope, minivans are a thing of the past just like station wagons were 10 years ago. Small SUV's and crossovers like the Element, Cube, Flex and Edge are what people want now.

 

Then how do you explain how minivans still sell well?

 

They do? Who makes a minivan that sells well?

 

Chrysler & Dodge sold about 22,000 in April, up from about 17,000 April '11.

News: Chrysler sales rose 20%

Honda sold 10,000 plus in April, more in May and June:

Honda Odyssey Sales Figures - GOOD CAR BAD CAR

Toyota sold 9400 in April, with better months in May and June:

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01...s-figures.html

Kia, 1800....

You can plug in whatever you want on that site.

Maybe Ford could rebadge the Kia, it looks kinda like a Windstar....

Seriously, Ford could be in the market, but it would have taken an overhaul and quite an investment at the time when they were pretty thin in the money department methinks.

They could re-introduce, but it would take lots of bucks.

As for the mini-van vs. SUV, everyone has their preference, but from my experience when we had two new vehicles--'97 Olds Silly and '98 Exploder--hands down the minivan is the easier vehicle to load little kids and their trappings in and out of. It was also a far more comfortable long-range vehicle.

Step up to an Expedition or Sub, and you get lots more room but neither will match the mpg of a decent* minivan.


*"decent" used as a relative term.

 

Fords last true mini van was the Freestar. It was downsized from the Windstar...less room in the 3rd row seat. Turned out to be a big mistake. Today Ford offers the Flex...a wonderful vehicle. Try it if you're looking for a mini van.

 

Windstar was renamed Freestar, apparently someone at Ford found some LSD one night... I do not see any difference in the dimensions between the two. Maybe the folding seat cost some interior room.

Freestyle was an early crossover suv built on the Taurus platform. Rented one once--a fairly handy sized vehicle that drove ok but was a bit noisy.

Ford should never bring back either name. This is an example of the reputation they have. The 3.8 headgasket thing alone is enough to take someone out and shoot them.

http://voices.yahoo.com/why-not-buy-...ar-132422.html

As for "good selling", note in 1996 Dodge sold almost 300,000 minivans and Ford sold 198,456. Looks like the market might be down a bit, but the numbers above, which don't include all makers, are about 500,000. So Ford could sell a minivan if they tooled one up. They just need a new design and a new name--a couple $billion investment on hopes enough people have forgotten the Wind/Freestar.....who knows, it might work.

 

Quite right. Ford need to move FORWARD and attract new buyers uncontaminated by old memories.

 

Well, they had the "Explorer" and the "Ranger" - how about naming a minivan the "Wanderer"...

Just a thought...

We have a '98 Windstar and it is showing its age - it is a dated platform that wouldn't be very practical now - I agree that a new minivan would require a complete redesign and retool - maybe even give it a better turning radius than the Windstar had, lol...

 

How come no one wants it to have the name Windstar?

 

For the same reason we don't want to resurrect the Aerostar and Freestar names... It's like Windows 95/98/ME - once the usefulness is gone, it's time to let the names die in peace...

 

Precisely. Nostalgia fiends can go buy and restore an old one, just as we do with Ford trucks.

I like Windstars the way I like Dodge Caravans. Knock the windows out, park next to shop, and fill with scrap. Scrap guy removes with rollback, repeat process,

Consider it contributing to the collector value of the surviving examples.