so i went to the junk yard today with my dad looking for blue interior parts to fix up a van for a single mother we know in need of a car. while we were there i was looking around at all the fords there, and every single aerostar there was in better overall condition then 3 of the five vans that we currently own. guess it's kind of frustrating that vans with 120k, 150k and about 170k with PERFECT bodies, no rust, full interior (not base interior either, I'm talking fold down bed seats, second row buckets, etc) that is in perfect condition, basically all the vans out there were in better condition visually than mine and my dad's vans, which both suffer from rust cancer and mine has been hit in the back end under the tail lights multiple times (only one of which was my fault, but the guy i hit was literally parked in the middle of the street).

guess its just frustrating and kind of depressing going to the junk yard and pulling parts off of a vehicle in better condition than the ones that i am trying to maintain

 

To some people, like us, these are mighty beasts that cannot be replaced. Every trip is an adventure. We enjoy the nuances of these special vans. The room, the power, the hauling capability.

To others, they are just cars, that you throw out once you are done with them, like an old pair of socks.

 

see any tan 2nd row buckets?

don't feel bad, I hit a parked tree stump in the middle of a boat launch on a bright sunny day. perfectly cherry Aero until i tried to turn it into a D8 CAT. at least i knocked off a piece of the stump.
it's one of those don't ask, won't tell anyway situations.
wife still brings it up when she wants to dig me.
my neck is still sore

think there were alot of our PorcheAeros that went to the car crusher hunting grounds on the clunker program. don't see near as many on the road here. at least 2 in this area gone from their driveways, replaced by some of that foreign junke. Aeros have more steel in them than these yuppie mini/SUCKSuv vans. didn't Pontiac build a plastic van a few years back, what a joke.
never get me in one of those KimShee stink machines much less waste good money on one, 100k miles and all it's good for is driving to the crusher escalator and getting out.
one of those Ford low roof WantaBeVan things at 40 grand, never gonna happen in my driveway. what good is a van that i can't haul the barbecue or rototiller in the back without disassembling it?

still missed my Aero on the trailer trips this summer, she's been a good old girl, pulls like a brace of Missouri mules.

brings tears to my eyes also.

 

YES! better go snag them quick, there's a pair of MINT ones at the 92nd and foster lkq "pick n pull" scrap yard. better get them before they get greased up. that's usaully what happens to aero parts, people will leave greasy parts all over seats and carpet ruining them.

 

If they are in better visual condition see what they want for the whole van, then swap your good engine and trans into them. Keep the leftover parts for future repairs. Only problem with this arrangement is now you have to store the leftovers.

 

i wish i could do that, i've tried to do that before with a civic that i completely gutted on a half off day because they wouldn't sell it to me. they gave me some excuse of as soon as it's in their yard dmv erases the vin from existence or something like that.

*sigh* oh well, body work isn't a bad thing to do. lol

 

Yes they did, the plastic Transport:




and Chevy had their version, the Lumina APV:




My sister in law had one of these POS. They rebuilt the tranny 3 times and the engine twice before she hit 150k mi. They are big on the outside, but small on the inside.

 

made of plastic, it's fantastic LOL!

well, my friend had Lumina APV. not so small inside, but too low... seems to me it is car like a van.

I suggest plastic body - no rust!

 

They had plastic body panels attached to what are essentially space frames. In some ways, that's actually better than unibody structures, which rely on body panels for some of the strengths. Of course, the non-rusting feature of the plastic panels is kind of nice. The other thing is that if they do get damaged from minor dents, they can be individually removed and replaced.

I liked their more aerodynamic front ends, but that also gave them terrible forward visibility. I think the shape of the Aerostar's front end is just about the optimal compromise between aerodynamics, visibility, and function. The only thing more I could ask for is maybe make the nose more rounded, like a bullet or tear drop, for improved aerodynamics. That might even allow for more engine room, and better access.

 

With all the Areo's in the Junk yard, did you look to see what power planyt was in those. I bet most were the 3.0L.

 

suprisingly it was mostly 4.0l 4wd's that were at the junk yard that i frequent at, although there were a few 3.0l's.

 

We had an 97 Aero in our family, and it was a great van. My parents bought it used and my mom drove it around for 7 years. The carpet had all sorts of stains in it from years to kids spilling food and drink in the back. After that, it was given to my sister as her first car.
Last year we finally sent it off to the junkyard. At 216,000 miles and a failed inspection sticker we had to let it go. The New England winters were not very kind to the body, and neither was my sister's driving. Just about every body panel had rust and/or dents on it. I'm sure this van wouldn't have made you proud of your vehicle! It was a sight for sore eyes, but we sure got a lot of good use out of that van.

 

now THAT'S a good reason for a vehicle to be sent to the scrap yard. not, oh i'm tired of my mint condition vehicle, i think i'll scrap it for a kia. (not that kia's are bad...)