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First Vehicle - 1997 Ford Aerostar XLT (Need Help!)
So... Here is some backstory as to how I got my Aerostar. A couple weeks back, I was scrolling through Facebook Marketplace. I saw a 1997 Aerostar for $800 and had no idea what it was, but I'd been looking for a van that would be reliable, and this was exactly what I wanted. I'd asked the guy selling it a little bit more about it, and he said that it was a reliable first car for a teenager. Only 120k miles on it, and it worked. It was good enough for me. Though I had been saving up money for months, I only had $500 in my pocket, and so I asked him if he'd possibly go down to that, and he said he could if I went and got it that night. So, I had some of my relatives take me out there at around 10:00 at night to go look at a van 2 hours away. I was instantly in love with it, and drove it home. It's exactly what the guy told me it was; a reliable, good first vehicle. However, it's got some issues, and I was wondering if I could get some help trying to fix these issues, because I've been searching around, but to no avail. First off, the front bumper is cracked and missing some pieces. I've been unlucky so far in even finding a bumper online. In addition to the bumper, the passenger side headlight moves around freely when pushed. I think I've figured out that there was a fender bender that broke the horizontal headlight adjuster socket. Secondly, the owner before the person I bought the van from drove around a disabled person, so the seats are gone, which I'm sure I could find some seats at a junkyard or something, but the main dome light has been replaced with what I think to be a plate to stand the antenna for a radio cellphone that I found in the drawer under the passenger seat. I cant find a dome light, and I don't know what it even looks like. Third, I don't know if there's supposed to be one, but if there is, I'm missing the panel under the dash, where the pedals are. Also missing the interior back door panel. But for $500, it's a good buy! I never knew how cool and technically "rare" in my mind the Aerostar is!
...I never knew how cool and technically "rare" in my mind the Aerostar is!
Congrats.
Yes, Aerostars are becoming rare, but surprisingly they are becoming cool again, possibly because the public has come full circle, led by the transition away from sedans and into suv's & trucks.
Just recently I had a young guy (maybe 25yrs) stop and stare, then talk for several minutes about how the Aero "looked cool".
Didn't even pay attention to my high branded euro cars sitting right near by.
We can only hope that this return to cool will continue but the overriding consideration in keeping these vehicles around is reliability and maintenance.
I don't expect the average value to rise because, just like this deal, a significant number of people still just want them out of the way, now.
** ? **
Hints as to...
- Location
- 3L/4L
- RWD/AWD
- Wrenching skill set
Alrite, some young blood in the aerostar world. 120k miles is Great! Should get alot more miles.
Is it 3.0 or 4.0?
I can't tell if your pic of the dome light is the front or the rear, but here is what I think is a main one on ebay. Covers are still available also https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-OEM-For...8AAOSwKIdaY~eo
Also the front bumper is very hard to find, and if you do it will be costly. I see the pic and most of the pieces are still there, I fix it with fiberglass, and body filler. Sand it nice and paint it. The interior panels are going to be hard to find. Start calling junkyards and see if they have what you are looking for, panels and seats. Luckily its just an eyesore. There are alot of people here who have parts vans, hopefully someone will help out.
Some things to look for.
Jack up the the front and check for loose front wheel bearings, tie rods.
Make sure there is no brake fluid leaking out of the rear brake drums.
Couldn't hurt to jack the rear and pull the drums to check for leaks, and see the shoes at the same time.
The headlight will be east to fix. Just remove the light trims on both sides and compare what broke. Your headlight look very dull, I recommend these from ebay. They come with lots of parts. https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-OEM-For...8AAOSwdytatQtD
Didn't exactly know what you meant by "Hints as to..." but the van is located in Wyoming, it's a 4L AWD, and I don't have any skill sets with cars except gawking at their looks, haha
Last year of production, best tranny, biggest engine, most complete option list.
For $500.
And you have a serious light bulb problem.
Are you pranking us?
You know what? It does! Really well! I think it's mildly new, as well! Its got a new alternator, a new timing belt, battery, and like I said, I think the AC is new as well! Thanks to the person who owned it before the guy who sold it to me did, it was very well kept up on, considering the fact that they drove around a disabled person, and had to have it in good running order. Here's a could pics from under the hood of my "Beast"
I think if you took the front bumper off, you could fill and strengthen the broken area with fiberglass or epoxy. They're getting very hard to find, and the rears are even more scarce.
Yes, take off the bumper and repair, if it comes off? The factory put a 3ft strip of double side tape right across the top front section of the bumper. If its old and has failed you will be able to get it off easy. BUT,, if its still stuck you will likely break the poopy out of it trying to get it loose. FYI
05-27-2018, 09:06 PM
First Vehicle - 1997 Ford Aerostar XLT (Need Help!)
