I have been searching for a bit and have come across an almost MINT condition 1996 Ford Aerostar XLT Long Body. 3.0L Cylinder Engine.
- 1 Owner
- 135,000 miles
-CD Player and Lumber Seats
-Beautiful Ford Green

The owners are asking $3,250 for the vehicle. Is this way too high of an asking price? I really love this vehicle, but I do not want my emotions to get in the way and make me overpay. I am going to view the vehicle tomorrow and plan on making a decision then.

I figure this is the best place to go to ask. How much is too much? Given the facts stated above, what do you think? Fair asking price? Way too high? Is it a steal?

Thanks for your thoughts and input.

 

I picked up a 97 windstar with a little less than 100,000 miles on a 3.0l for $1600. The body was perfect and there was no rust. The tires and brakes were new. Granted, a windstar is not AWD like the Aerostars can be. You can always offer less if you want that van. Maybe meet in the middle somewhere?

How confident are you in inspecting the engine and transmission and differentials? Brakes? Tires? These are places where dollars can disappear if things go bump in the night. Another thing to consider is how long has the vehicle been for sale? If it's an on-line ad there is usually a date posted. Sometimes that date can be refreshed...like on Craigslist...etc.

 

One thing about the 3.0 L on the Windstar is the throttle linkage bushings sometimes go bad. Not sure if that is the case on it's predecessor but if the idle sometimes is higher than normal it's because that bushing is bad. You can jiggle the throttle and it returns to normal idle. The repair for that requires the R&R of the intake manifold and either installing a new intake manifold with new bushings or replacing the bushings in the manifold and reusing the repaired one. Cost probably 600 for new manifold and maybe replace/repair the bushings for less $.

 

Thank you for your input. This vehicle has been listed for under 24 hours so far and has 11 watchers on Ebay. Feel free to take a look. (I hope this link is aloud!) The buyer said if I pay asking price he will pay for vehicle inspection upon request.

* LINK REMOVED *

 

Took a look, yep the body and interior appear straight. But check the vehicle history if available. Make sure there's no accidents etc. I'm thinking that the 3.0l is only a 2WD unit so no AWD on that one.

It's dealer owned, I'd say bid $510 and join the watchers. You never know how low it might go for on the auction. Plus sight unseen you don't know much. I never buy a rig without first giving it a thorough inspection. Can't see the tire tread in the pics. If this vehicle is close to you you should take a look. Otherwise low ball the bidding.

Good luck!
Big Blue 2

 

 

Thank you for your input.

The vehicle was inspected this morning, it had some vacuum seal issue, needed a new serpentine belt, and a few hoses looked worn out so all of these were replaced at the owners cost. Along with a new oil change. Receipts will be provided when I go view the vehicle. He is also getting the vehicle detailed this afternoon.

Knowing this information, would it make it more worth it to pay the asking price? This van has been listed for a little over a day now and has 23 watchers already. I feel that $3,200 is a little on the high side after doing more research but I also know there is a line of people willing to pay that much or close to that if I do not purchase this vehicle today.

 

Are you bidding on it? I see there are 23 people watching and the bid is up over $900 with 5 days to go. In five days you will have a pretty good idea what the van is worth. By the way...I wonder how many people found the link to ebay from your post? You might want to edit your post and remove the link? You could be bidding against FTE browsers.

My advice is that you should remain calm in the presence of a beautiful lady. I see that she photographs well But what's in her heart? Which means do your due dilligence. Did you look at the oil before the change? Did you check the transmission fluid? When was it changed last? Does it appear burnt? Is there any evidence of oil consumption? Did you get a compression test done? Did you check the motor for start up? Did you get in it and hold your foot on the brake and shift from D to R and back again a few times to listen to the transmission? Is it smooth or do you hear any clunking or excessive noise when shifting? Check tires? Brakes? Did you test drive it in all conditions, city, highway? does the vehicle track well? Any steering pulling? Any vibrations at highway speeds?

This would be a short list of quick checks.I wish you well in your search for a van. Remember there is another van for you if this one goes bad. Like Papa once told me....there's plenty of fish in the sea.

 

I have not placed a bid on it yet, I am sitting watching it play out. I am going to view the vehicle today and will make a checklist of things to go over. Thanks for your input!!!! I also removed the link too lol

 

I see the bid is moving up this morning. What is curious is that the same person bid it up three times and that person has only been bidding on vehicles if you look at the bid history. Why would the same person bid three times in a row against him or herself?

 

Hmm, I do see that now. That is weird! I am going to keep an eye on that for sure. Could be driving the price up??

 

I thought all the extended versions came with the 4 liter engine. I've never seen one with a 3 liter.

 

FYI,, I got my 2nd Aero a few months ago, 92 shorty 3.0 with only 67k on it. Needed a few minor things fixed. Been driving it for about 2k miles and its going great.
Got it for $2200 out the door.. I think the price is way to high.

 

Both of my '92 extendeds are 3.0, the '95 is 4.0, definitely a noticeable difference!

 

I don't think you will find a 3 liter in an AWD ext, but they do exist in the 2WD version. Someone posted that they hadn't heard of a manual transmission with the AWD either. I found one for sale. There may be some rare combinations out there, not normally spec'd by dealers.