Yes, I'm aware of the (very expensive) electric door and tailgate lift issues. I ruled out the 2011-on Sienna for that reason. My mother's '99's side doors are getting unreliable now, but it's coming up on 20 years old; we just keep fixing them.

At least on the 2007-2010 Sienna there's no cam belt; 2006 and earlier have to have that belt changed.

If I want an AWD minivan there's only two choices besides the Aero (last available in 1997): the Dodge and the Sienna. Or does somebody know of something else?

 

There is also GMC Safari / Chevy Astro `s. Don`t know how many are still around but i do see them occassionally

 

Availability of the Astro and Safari should be much better than the Aerostar, as they were made for about 10 years longer (2007). I don't think the Sienna passes the plywood test as the extended Aerostar does.

 

Wikipedia says 2005 was the last Astro/Safari.

I had to drive a Gen1 Astro as a service van, and I really hated it. The interior bits are even cheaper than the Aero, and the seats were awful. Engine access is even worse than the Aero.

No, an Astro is not in my future, esp. after GM screwed their shareholders and pensioners, nope.

Yeah, the Sienna is smaller inside than my Aero. I really want a newer Aero, one with less time and fewer miles. The size is right, the mileage is reasonable.

 

Take a look at the MB Metris passenger van, also available in work van. Lift rear door. 5000 lb towing. 23 mpg.
Good interior and ride quality with good seats.
Looks like they'll take a 4x8' ply panel in back.
Reasonable price on used market

 

Ford "Chicken Tax"

Ford?s Run Around on ?Chicken Tax? Riles Customs Officials ? News ? Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

 

I note that the 2017 Transit Connect with the long wheel base has the same exterior dimensions as an extended length Aerostar. I wonder if it passes the plywood test?

 

Everyone is saying similar things, so here is my 2 cents

I have an 89 shorty with the 3.0 - stock wheels, etc.... we put a Reese class 3 hitch on her, and I think just about every other time at a gas station, people would ask me similar questions...

we got the towing kit from ford when we bought it, so that meant the tranny cooler and the wiring back there, etc.

We primarily towed a horse trailer with a horse and a 23 ft power boat...

The horse trailer was a dual axle and had it's own brakes - but even with that, it was still hard on the van's brakes for sure - the boat was lighter, not as bad, but again, we were mostly driving on flat roads. I would down shift when coming down hills, depending on the grade, to help save the brakes... save the brakes, stress the tranny lol I didn't use OD unless I was on the Hwy and it was flat.

I have also towed a uhaul trailer with it for 1000 miles (their biggest one) and it was full of heavy boxes - again, towed it ok, but I was easy on the brakes... I did the speed limit on the hwy, etc. that trailer also had it's own brakes...

I ended up getting some drilled and slotted rotors for the front brakes, and that really helped with the heat of course, as did ceramic pads. (the good stuff, not the junk)

Bottom line - if you are towing 3000K lbs all the time, you will shorten the life of the truck, no question... yes, the small 14 inch wheels and brakes are the biggest concern. The 3.0L is really a great engine, but you are asking it to do what a v8 is better at, esp climbing hills under load - she will hang in there, but you're not gonna do 65 up a hill, even on the floor, nor should you expect that.

I recently towed my little garden tractor with trailer and that was a bout 1500 lbs max, and it was just fine... but she is an old gal now... we don't have a boat or horses any longer, so, mostly, the hitch is a conversation piece.

we use the full sized SUV now when we tow, if we need to.

Good Luck :-)

 

The Transit Connect is too short inside to fit 8' sheet goods. It' is just barely wide enough, though (in cargo configuration, not in passenger).

I rented a 2017 Transit (not the Connect) from Enterprise this summer, drove it on my last driving trip to LA and back, down empty back extremely stuffed full, and found it to be a competent fullsize van. $1300 and 2600 miles. But I don't think that I want one, they don't come in green, and no AWD. Great mileage!

Sienna, or find someone to R&R my engine, rebuild the trans (too many miles on mine to trust, though it's working fine), and rebuild the front axles?

 

I was looking for something that can still fit into my garage. Full size vans like the Transit in general are too tall, and some too long.

The Transit Connect long wheel base, having the same external dimensions as the extended length Aerostar, seems rather big for a "compact" van. It must have rally thick walls.

 

Much has been said about the ability to carry a full sheet of plywood, but I can't remember ever using a full sheet of plywood for anything. All my projects have required smaller pieces and home depot will make two free cuts with their panel saw. Now if you're building a house, I can see needing full sheets, but an Aerostar wouldn't be my choice for hauling that much wood.

 

I've had to bring home full sheets of plywood and sheet rock more than a few times during the years that I've owned my Aerostar. Not building a house each time, just remodeling rooms, where I needed them whole. The Aerostar is perfect for small projects like that, and I didn't have to rent or borrow a truck each time. And yes, I've had plenty of projects where I had them cut the sheets down for me before bringing them home.

If the Transit Connect is wide enough (4 ft) to load sheets in the back, I can manage bringing them home with the hatch open.

 

The Transit Connect is rumored (ie: this is what I've read, it may not be true) to be 47+" in Passenger trim, and a hair over 48" in Cargo trim.

You can still put the sheet goods over the wheel humps, though that works less well for breakables like acrylic and gypsum.

 

I actually did build my own house, and my SWB Aero cleaned up after bulk deliveries on real trucks.
From Home Depot, many sheets, both plywood and gypsum and many many 80# sacks.
For sheets, bridged the gap between the wheel humps and strapped down the open hatch.
Up to 1ton rocks, on the bump stops for a short ride.
On top I overloaded the dainty luggage bars with lumber up to 250lbs and with length up to 20ft. Much wood trim in the 10-12ft range. Looked illegal. Wasn't ever caught.
******************
I may be forced back into the larger minivan market, not by 4-by-8 projects, but by 4 adults on tour with gear.
As a direct result of this thread, the MB Metris has my attention.
RWD, 2L turbo, ~210 hp, ~250ftlbs.
Good point, measure your garage first.

 

Just wanted to provide an update on this thread. I did go ahead and use my 3.0 wagon van for some hefty towing. This past weekend I towed home a lathe weighing over a ton. The ramp, although porous with metal mesh, does create quite a bit of air drag. But this setup worked fine for towing this lathe home during a trip of around 130 miles one way. A mixture of highway, town roads and some hilly sections including a big bridge with a serious incline. Lowest speed achieved up the hills was ~40 mph and I never had the van outright floored. I mean I'm not sayingthe 3.0 is ideal for towing things this heavy, but really it was no issue at all for an occasional job like this. I was relaxed the whole way, one hand on the wheel, no crazy handling characteristics, everything was well under control.

As to brakes, as previously stated, I have a set of fully functional electric brakes on the trailer. And I used them on this trip. But honestly? I could have driven all the way home without them. I drove defensively, wasn't in a hurry and relied a lot on engine braking going down hills. Otherwise, I approached all stops with a very gradual deceleration using light brake pressure all the way. No problems when done this way. I experimented with my brake controller on and off so I know it's more than possible with the aerostar brakes alone. However, having said that, I wouldn't recommend towing anything like this without trailer brakes. They provide important emergency stopping power in the event of an emergency, like some jerk pulling out in front of you etc. Fortunately, that didn't happen to me on my way home with the lathe, but of course it's always a possibility.

Also, as a reminder, my van does have air shocks in the rear and the 4:10 differential gearset. And lastly, after towing my trailer empty both with the ramp installed and with it off - the ramp really puts a drag on a vehicle of this size. I think it honestly has a bigger effect - or as big of an effect - on towing capacity than weight does (to a limit, of course). My measured round trip gas mileage for this lathe retrieval (one way unladen, other way laden) was about 14mpg (this van can get 23 mpg unloaded with no trailer). If the guy I bought the lathe from had the means to load the lathe onto my trailer without the ramp, I could have left it off for the trip. I'm almost certain had the ramp been removed, even loaded with the lathe, my round trip mileage (mpg) would have been in the upper teens without the ramp.

So there you have it. The Aerostar van never ceases to amaze me with its versatility, power and economy. That's why I bought it after all!