Anything about a ford aerostar van that would make me not want to buy this?

[f1r3s1d3]

I'd go for it. Either engine choices are some of the most reliable engines out there, the 3.0L Vulcan and the 4.0L OHV Cologne are both bulletproof. Simple, basic, pushrod v6's.

 

[lurk3r]

Isn't the aerostar the one with a $900 spark plug replacement cost?

I'd call midas or someone close and ask them to quote plug replacement.

 

[AstroManLuca]

F Fix
O It
R Again
D Tony

BTW, I drove an Aerostar for a couple months, early this year. It had low miles, only about 80k, but the guy who owned it did not use it properly. First, the moment I drove it home, the check engine light came on. Apparently the air filter hadn't been replaced in ages. The shop also discovered that the axles were leaking and it would be $500-$700 to fix them. I thought it probably wouldn't be worth it. And then before I could even decide, the transmission started to go (the car would not move if the shifter was in the Overdrive position, so I was limited to the first three gears). The reason Overdrive died is most likely because the guy was so clueless he didn't even know that he wasn't supposed to tow his boat trailer in Overdrive.

Eventually I got rid of the thing. Luckily, the guy was an old family friend so he knocked half off the price and also gave me some nice stuff from his home that he's selling.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
F Fix
O It
R Again
D Tony

BTW, I drove an Aerostar for a couple months, early this year. It had low miles, only about 80k, but the guy who owned it did not use it properly. First, the moment I drove it home, the check engine light came on. Apparently the air filter hadn't been replaced in ages. The shop also discovered that the axles were leaking and it would be $500-$700 to fix them. I thought it probably wouldn't be worth it. And then before I could even decide, the transmission started to go (the car would not move if the shifter was in the Overdrive position, so I was limited to the first three gears). The reason Overdrive died is most likely because the guy was so clueless he didn't even know that he wasn't supposed to tow his boat trailer in Overdrive.

Eventually I got rid of the thing. Luckily, the guy was an old family friend so he knocked half off the price and also gave me some nice stuff from his home that he's selling.

Why do you have the Fiat acronym when we're talking about Ford? 😛

You can't blame the car for owner abuse. Any car would have had problems if it was mistreated the way the Aerostar apparently was.

ZV

 

[AstroManLuca]

Agreed. I'm sure there are a lot of Aerostars out there that still work great after a long time. The leaky axles weren't his fault, though, unless towing a boat in OD is liable to do that.

While I drove it, it wasn't a terrible car. Yeah, it was pretty bad. The control layout was terrible. Hazard lights were a tiny invisible switch you had to pull out (not push in) at an angle to activate. The gas cap release lever was difficult to reach even when you weren't sitting in the car. But it drove okay, and it always heated up fine in the winter. So I wouldn't dissuade someone from buying one for hauling or towing use, as long as it's cheap.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: OdiN
It says Ford on it....I'd stay away.

EXCELLENT! I will now be asking Anand to rename this site Ford Tech.:thumbsup:

What's it like being a childish troll?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
Agreed. I'm sure there are a lot of Aerostars out there that still work great after a long time. The leaky axles weren't his fault, though, unless towing a boat in OD is liable to do that.

While I drove it, it wasn't a terrible car. Yeah, it was pretty bad. The control layout was terrible. Hazard lights were a tiny invisible switch you had to pull out (not push in) at an angle to activate. The gas cap release lever was difficult to reach even when you weren't sitting in the car. But it drove okay, and it always heated up fine in the winter. So I wouldn't dissuade someone from buying one for hauling or towing use, as long as it's cheap.

Not sure what you mean about "leaky axles". Do you mean that axle seals that are part of the differential? Those are a rare failure, usually occurring due to a hamfisted axle replacement, but yes, definitely not something that can usually be directly traced to owner abuse.

ZV

 

[FeuerFrei]

Notorious for transmission failures with only ... what ... 70K miles.
I'd put it on the 'least desirable transportation' list.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
Notorious for transmission failures with only ... what ... 70K miles.
I'd put it on the 'least desirable transportation' list.

As far as I know, the early failure problems with the A4LD are pretty much limited to a vacuum diaphragm valve that can burst. It's about a $150 fix. It's not uncommon for a transmission shop to claim that the entire transmission has to be rebuilt, however.

ZV

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
Agreed. I'm sure there are a lot of Aerostars out there that still work great after a long time. The leaky axles weren't his fault, though, unless towing a boat in OD is liable to do that.

While I drove it, it wasn't a terrible car. Yeah, it was pretty bad. The control layout was terrible. Hazard lights were a tiny invisible switch you had to pull out (not push in) at an angle to activate. The gas cap release lever was difficult to reach even when you weren't sitting in the car. But it drove okay, and it always heated up fine in the winter. So I wouldn't dissuade someone from buying one for hauling or towing use, as long as it's cheap.

Not sure what you mean about "leaky axles". Do you mean that axle seals that are part of the differential? Those are a rare failure, usually occurring due to a hamfisted axle replacement, but yes, definitely not something that can usually be directly traced to owner abuse.

ZV

That must have been it. The guys at the shop said that I could still drive it for a while but that they would eventually cause other parts of it to get corroded and require even more extensive repairs. I decided it wasn't worth it. It was a 4WD version so it would have had a differential over each axle.

Like I said, though, the transmission problems were most likely caused by him towing in overdrive. I still am not convinced that most American cars from the early 90s are reliable enough to consider for anything other than an non-critical, occasional-use vehicle. I know there are plenty of exceptions but they seem to often suffer from major failures.

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: Christobevii3
I'd find a chevy astro van personally. They have the 4.3L and 4L60e engine/transmission setup. They are relatively cheap to repair since they are just an s10...

Yeah those things last for a decently long time too

 

[SparkyJJO]

parents had a 91 aerostar. Great vehicle, was the AWD so it did great in the snow (RWD models are like bathtubs in the snow though 😛) and only had minimal issues with it (one of the AWD sensors went bad, and it needed a couple other minor things). Had it for several years, but we ended up getting rid of it because the frame was rusted out so bad you couldn't even jack it up to change a tire, the jack would go through it. Oddly enough the body panels were practically rust free.

 

[funboy6942]

No problems, drive it till it pukes. I owned one, and worked on many, door sensors were the things that go out often, mainly on sliding door, other then that the v6 they used in thoes are built proof. Only other bad thing on it is to do a tune up its much easier to do it from under the van and through the wheel well. For the price, its no to bad, though in the condition you mention, Id get them closer to $500 if it were me.