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Ford Aerostar Owners: Meet the Members

5 messages,  Last post on Nov 23, 2007 at 7:35 AM

You are in the Ford Aerostar Forum. Your Host is Karens

What is this discussion about? Ford Aerostar, Van

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#1 of 5 Ford Aerostar Owners: Meet the Members by claires HOST Oct 27, 2006 (7:31 pm)
Introduce yourselves here.
#2 of 5 16 yr Aerostar owner by mongox Nov 08, 2006 (11:27 pm)
(re-post of my message in Aerostar elec forum, mod can remove that one)   I'm visiting forum because considering buying a used 4WD Aerostar but thought my experience with previous Aerostar might be of interest to those asking about reliability and such.    I purchased a 1990 XL 3.0 Aerostar in June of 1990 and have retained it since. It now sits, forlorn and dead, after giving great service for 16 years and 230,000 miles.    Clearly, over this time span and mileage the van has been thru a lot! Overall, I was very very satisfied with it. When you decide to keep a vechicle for this long, a certain amount of service and repair is part of the deal. Consider that even though I refinanced my van's orginal 3 yr note to 4 1/2 years (to get down payment for house long since gone) that I haven't had to make a payment on it for over 11 years. This pays for a bit of maintanence.    The fall after purchase, I received some offers from out-of-state dealers for an extended warranty - this was/is? a program by Ford to help low-volume dealers. I increased my warranty to 5 yrs?/100K by spending $700. This paid off when my van hit 97,000 and I had to have very major work done on the transmission. The van was shifting sluggishly at first and over-shifting on hills in cruise control. My dealer first did pulling and replacing, twice, and the problems ceased. Not long after this, on a trip to New Mexico for skiing, I had noticed that when fully loaded (4 adults with significant luggage in back and on top) that again I was getting poor performance while on cruise and too much down-shifting. When I returned, I went again to dealer and even though van now had 102K on it, they considered it a continuation of the warranty and fully replaced the transmission.    The tune-up I had done this trip was first one. I also had same friend replace the shocks or struts, whatever, with heavy-duty ones which lasted life of the van. I never had ANY front end work done on the van and despite curbs and being hit broadside (see later) it ran straight and true for its life.    At about 140K I failed to notice the temp guage was totally in the red and ran the engine dry. The problem came from a broken heater hose which drained the coolant. I had my friend above pull the engine and he replaced some rings and the main gasket and I was back on the road. (Great to have a friend like this - cost me I believe about $360) However, this was my fault, not the van's.    Around 170K my van was hit broadside when I avoided a freeway accident! Sounds funny, eh? I noticed a complete stopage up ahead on freeway - love the view from the Aerostar, love a mini-van that drives like a truck rather than a car - and pulled quickly onto the shoulder and on about 20 ft into the large grass verge. I knew the car behind wasn't watching well and was driven by kids so didn't want to be read-ended. Indeed, the kids behind me hit the car formerly in front of me, then veered into middle lane and sideswiped a brand-new car... then careened off the freeway, incredibly finding my van out in the grass and hitting me right on the sliding door.    My insurance paid under Uninsured Motorist - paid off completely. I chose to keep the van and didn't have it repaired. The frame post behind passenger seat was bent, the frame line under doors was bent. However, the passenger door still operated despite damage and the side door could be carefully opened and forcefully closed. So... it was now very ugly. I hadn't upgraded the AC to the new system so the small opening at top of side door didn't bother me nor did the small amt of rain which dripped in - it drained right out again anyway!    Well, the next 60K saw the van last but become a bit ragged. Since it had no resale value, I didn't keep up the maint. as I should, allowing the front end to become very loose - worn tie rods and bushings. A fair bit of noise and loose steering was evident but since I didn't drive it a lot, I let it go.    The final day came when returning from the lake, after serving me again by carrying an immense load of stuff on the trip up. I accelerated to about 75 to pass on the freeway and lost all power - the trans seal broke sending all the fluid out. I was able to get off the freeway and into a Denny's to await my tow.    I consider the Aerostar to be the perfect minivan. My experience consisted of dependable performance and low maint. cost. The transmission on the 89-91 models seems to have been poorly chosen, one mechanic told me it was too small, designed for a 4 cyl engine rather than a 3.0 V6. Outside of that, I found no problems with it. Design is great - the rear wheel drive making it a much better towing machine than other minivans.    I once pulled a old Ford F-150, fully loaded with furniture, with my van also loaded, from Phoenix to San Antonio - 1000 miles. Wasn't a fun trip, especially New Mexico where the round-top roads let the truck steer me - but the van did as well as could be expected. I didn't have the towing package, but added a trans cooler before trying it.    So, I'm stuck on Aerostars. Would be happy with any low-milage model but am intrigued by the 4WD I found locally. I'll post my experiences with it if I make the jump. Hope all have enjoyed my story!
#3 of 5 Looking for replacement recommendations for my 1996 Aerostar by flgramps Apr 02, 2007 (6:54 pm)
Bought 1996 3 DR XLT 6 cyl. used in 1997 with 33,000 miles. Took out 100,000 ext. warranty based on previous cars' performances. Never used warranty. Besides religiously changing oil every 3000 miles and general maintenance there have been no major repairs. Had first complete tune up at 180,000 miles. Replaced original a/c compressor last year. I have had some problems with the power steering rebuilt motors not holding up as factory built no longer exist. That's about it. A tie rod here, a starter there, lots of tires. Stuff like that. Here is my problem. Car has 183,000 miles and looks ratty on the inside. The headliner has cracked and split into many little lines because of the Florida sun beating down on the roof. The plastic molded door panels on the driver and passenger side have deteriorated. The drivers seat is showing wear. There is some damage on the exterior right fender from a run in with a tree trunk- more than a scratch. Car looks shabby to drive clients around in if required. Test drove a new 2007 Dodge caravan SXT 4 cyl today. Really did not have much pep. Is this my imagination or does this car get up and go if you need to merge onto the interstate for example? I am not a fast driver or a hot rod, and I drove a VW van for many years and that was a 4 cyl. Is the Caravan about the same as a VW for power? What about the Dodge 4 cyl engine lasting over 100,000 miles without a rebuild vs. their 6 cyl? Also is it my imagination or is my Aerostar luxurious as compared to the upholstery fabric, cushioning, and general interior of the Caravan? It really seemed bare bones even though the Aerostar was never considered luxurious for its time. Since there is nothing mechanically wrong with my Aerostar should I just replace the headliner, get a seat from the local junk yard where there are a lot to pick from, have the fender fixed and pop for a paint job? And then drive it until the engine or transmission quits? Does anyone have a recommendation as to a replacement van that is comparable on all fronts to the Aerostar? I might add the Caravan is a real deal price wise $15,999 out the door. Replies to this message: KarenS (Apr 03, 2007 7:15 am)
#4 of 5 Re: Looking for replacement recommendations for my 1996 Aerostar [flgramps by KarenS HOST Apr 03, 2007 (7:15 am)
Replying to: flgramps (Apr 02, 2007 6:54 pm) Welcome to CarSpace Forums!   You might want to read and/or post your question in this discussion.   Minivan Shopping   Good luck!
#5 of 5 Aerostar performance and seats by pure1 Nov 23, 2007 (7:35 am)
I have a 1994 Aerostar Extended XLT W/3.0 engine are there any off the shelf parts to get more H/P from then engine? Like intake manifolds or headers for this van. I have heard of of performance Chips. Also my vehicle has the two bench seats, does anyone know if the two captains chairs like in the Eddie Bauer will fit where the first bench seat is in mine using the same mounting holes in the floor?

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