Just bought a 2000 Windstar to have something to drive while I address my head gasket problem on my 92 Aerostar. What a piece of %$#@! The Aerostar has more power, is much quieter, more comfortable, can tow way more, has way more room in a more compact package (my Windstar is physically larger but has way less interior room). Why doesn't Ford make another version of the Aerostar (although it would have to start with "F" ) Ford needs to pay attention to Dodge with the new Mercedes van with the Diesel engine.
Can you imagine a new version of the Aerostar with 2 sliding doors, turbo diesel engine, available 5 speed, new style glue on side windows, power rear windows, and 4 wheel disk brakes? wow!!!. Anyway, tommorrow I'm going to buy a CHEVY malibu (2001) to hold me over til I can sell the Windstar and buy a 96 or 97 Aerostar AWD. I will probably keep my 92 after I fix it and sell the car.
Just my 2 cents worth, if you have an Aerostar and want to upgrade to a Windstar......DON'T, it's not an upgrade.
007BRONCO

 

didn't think so either. all other newer vans are not workhorses. it doesn't even come close to matching the aero's tough-ness in doing actual heavy work. we've loaded ours down with retaining wall blocks in the rear passenger area, and hauled that all the way home. she never complained about it! i kinda doubt i will be able to load down a caravan, or a honda/toyota minivans with the same amount of blocks. i'm afraid the frame will actually split apart. lol!

 

Ya, the Ranger based drive train is superior to the "what is my guess", Taurus based drivetrain /platform of the Windstar. It's a truck based platform/drivetrain with car based suspension/ride quality. My Aerostar handles horribly but could probably be cured with some 15 or 16" rims/tires and poly bushings. My friend calls my Aerostar a "dinosaur" but I don't care anymore , the Windstar is going to be sold and I'm buying another Aerostar, gas mileage be damned. ( gas here is now $1.13 per liter with the difference in gallon sizes and CDN dollar value thats about $4.00/per US gal) Maybe I can find a way to wedge in a Japanese Diesel with tranny into it! Oh well, I'm babbling
Cheers
007BRONCO

 

i have both now. a 95 E4wd aero ext and a 95 windstar. and my mother in law just got rid of her freestar.

of the three vans I love my aero the most. though MY windstar is really quiet, and drives like a little car, ive heard some others complain about windstars. the windstar is no doubt faster in acceleration, but cant go uphill like the aero. i am sure its a torque thing. the winny doesnt sway at freeway speed like the aero though.

as for interior room, the aero wins hands down. even the shorty aero we had, has more room inside.

now my mother in laws freestar was ummm, not quite the combination of the two, but a lesser comprimise. if they call that improvement, they need to look up the word in websters. the van had two sliding doors, and a TINY middle bench seat. but in order to get in the back seat you had to fold the middle seat down, so why not make it full length anyways? i dunno. and then the thing knocked and pinged all the time, no matter what grade of gas she bought, so after 6 times at the dealership shop they bought it back and she got an expedition instead.

keep you aeros.

 

In my experience, the Windstar has only 2 advantages of the Aerostar.
A: 2 Sliding doors
B: Crash test safety (5 Star)

Aerostar do not do well in head on government crash tests. However, consider this. About the only people who ever crash head on into a concrete wall at 60 mph is those who are already dead.(Or wish to be)

 

the 95 windstar only has one sliding door.

so make that one advantage? lol

 

Well, for that year.

I may be somewhat partial, but the Windstar is pathetic.

To my above comments about the head on collision test, many of the dummies invlolved in the test sustained damage considered to be lethal (mostly severed legs). However, the test is extreme, and not a very accurate picture of real life collisions. At those speeds crashing into an concrete object head on would prbably kill anyone in almost any vehicle.

My biggest concern with aerostar, is rolling it. If the suspension is in good condition, and the driver knows how to react to emergencies, this is unlikely too. At side impact and rear impact collisions, the Aerostar fares extremely well. Some of this is due to the fact that the drivers sit up higher, and the passenger cage is very strong.

 

Yes, and in my opinion the Aerostar has far better driver visibility compared to the windstar. You are almost sitting out front on the road compared to what, 6 feet back in the Windstar?. Better vis, less chance of accident. The A-pillar is a little thick though
007BRONCO

 

An Aerostar can tow too. The Windstar can only tow light duty stoff. The reason for this, is the Aerostar has RWD, which makes sense for towing. As the weight of the trailer increases, the rear tires get held firmly in place, and traction improves.

On a FWD, as the tongue weight increases, the traction on the drive wheels decreases (sort of a seesaw effect. Also, the handleing gets really wierd. I see lots of Aerostar around here towing heavy trailers. I've even seen people towing large campers.

 

The Windstar has been a sore spot apparently for Ford. After a rash of problems with my Aerostar, I was looking to get into another vehicle. But every consumer review ( like on Edmunds.com) of the Windstar was awful. Lots of electrical problems and, like most 1990s Fords, transmission problems, as well as a lot of blown headgaskets(3.8)

But I refuse to buy a GM van, whether it's a Venture or Astro/Safari and I don't like the Chryslers either, their reputation is as bad as the Windstar. I don't tow, so it's not a concern of mine. If I were to purchase another minivan, I'd probably go to Honda, Toyota or Nissan. I drove them all, but they are too expensive for what I need them for.

I've since ironed out the the problems with the Aero, so I am deciding whether to keep it around a while or sell it.

I agree, Ford needs something along the lines of the Aerostar back. But if Astro is dying due to poor sales ( 8 years after Aerostar died) then I doubt there is a business model for a RWD minivan. With the automakers in dire straits, no one can risk any large failures either.

My only other choice was a Freightliner/Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter, but it's a bit expensive. But it does get incredible mileage ( 22+ highway) for a one to 1.5 ton van. I haven't ruled it out.

 

I think now is the right time for Ford to release a RWD van, since GM is discontinueing theirs. The Aerostar wasn't exactll a failure, since there were relatively few recalls, and Ford didn't have much overhead on them. The 2 biggest factors in the discontinuation, were:
A: The Caravan had a carlike ride, and the Windstar was brought in to compete with the Caravan.
B: All vehicle manufactured after 1997 had to have passenger side airbags. This would require the dash to be redesigned, in addition to the vehicle being revaluated to crash test safety.
C: New crash test standard were put into effect. The Aerostar did not do well on the previous set of standards, and if it were to fail in the new tests, sales would have been harmed. Ford would then have to either redesign or discontinue, since downplaying the danger only makes the public worry more.

In my opinion, the Aerostar did well in every catagory save the head on collision. Since head on collisions are both rare, and rarely leave the occupants in good condition, I don't see the validity of the test. Aerostar do well in rollovers, which I think are far more serious.

 

I would love to see the return of a RWD "minivan". A redesigned Aero with a strong (and effecient) V6 with either a 5 spd manual or 5 speed automatic, RWD or AWD. A turbodiesel version would be nice, just make it available to ALL models, not just XLT, Eddie Bauer,etc.

Do we really need all those trim levels? XLT, Premium, and Luxury, all in extended wheelbase form, would suffice.

Or instead of solely having AWD for those of us who live where the white stuff flies, maybe traction control standard and AWD optional.

I would take a re-done Aerostar with the above mentioned improvements over an SUV any day. What can you REALLY put in an Explorer or similar vehicle that would be easier to put in an Aerostar?

Oh well, it's all just nonsense, Ford won't build the Aero as we know it again. We should enjoy our "space-age" vans while we can.

Somebody saw my van the other day and asked if it was new. Funny how a 20 year old design is still new to some people.

 

The only drawback of the Aerostar is its cramped engine compartment I have scraped many a knuckle working on this van .

I have hauled stones full length limestone slabs inside and not a complaint. Shove about 7 bags of cement in my station wagon the suspension sags. Shove 9 in the Aero and its ready for more .

 

what id like to know is who the hell is ford doing consumer research with, that is suggesting that they keep coming out with the crap mini-vans that they do now? i mean, if they want the real scoop, why dont they ask US, the ones who own their vans now? dont we know what we want in a new van? hmmmmm?

 

Soccer moms killed the Aero. Everyone wants a carlike ride in their minivan (and now SUV's) I like the truck ride (and so does my wife.)

When I was looking for an Aero, my mom went with us to watch the kids. We went up to the Aero on the lot and she went "yuck, that thing is ugly ('96 Aero), why don't you want a newer model (pointing at a '95 windstar at the same price.)" After my long lecture of the Aero features, safety, and reliabilty. Then I had her get in the Windy and The Aero, she could not believe the interior space difference. She still complaned about the ground clearance and climbing in, (she is 5'2" and trying to get in an AWD is like climbing into a lifted truck for her,) I am 6'1" and my wife is 5'9" so it is not a problem for us. I think I had finnally got it through her head the truth about minivans after we test drove both of them.

Now, Whenever they come to visit, she exclaims "Lets take the van," and I always chuckle that now she likes the ugly beast (mainly the plentiful room for all 7 of us.)

We love our Aero, and will keep it until it is dust in the wind.