Ford Aerostar its history and why it was the WRONG Minivan for America
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- Опубликовано: 26 апр 2024
- The Plymouth Voyager debuted in 1983 in 1984 model and sales of it took off. The Voyager and sister Dodge Caravan sold 209,000 and sales just kept rocketing upward. Ford had no answer at the time and was left scrambling to come up with an alternative. That answer was The Ford Aerostar. It was a market fail and was discontinued 11 years after its introduction. A van like would never be built again by Ford. In this video we look at its origin, the history and changes along the way and why it was a miss.
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A vehicle that was in production for over a decade is not a “market failure”. Yes, the Aerostar and the Chevy Astro were more truck-like designs which were less popular - but guess what - both of them stuck around for a good long run.
Yes, other models outsold them, but clearly there was a market for them.
I owned both, but MoPars were FAR SUPERIOR!
RUclipsrs are salespeople. They aren't educators. They need to use clickbait language to drive views.
Basing the Aerostar in the Ranger platform was genius. I used my ‘95 extended to deliver as a courier and a family hauler. It never gave a a single complaint.
I think Ford saved some R&D money going in that direction and that may have been the biggest reason it was based on the Ranger. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs But, didn't the Ranger use a Twin I-Beam front suspension, prior to the '97-m/y?
@@pancudowny The frame and drivelines for the Aerostar came from the Ranger. The 4x4 1983-1988 Ford Ranger uses a Twin Traction Beam
ahh, memories. growing up, my parents had a 1989 XL 5spd! Black with the white multi pin stripes on the side. Great van lol
My first new vehicle was a 1986 Aerostar wagon ordered with 2.8 liter engine and 5 speed manual. Replaced it with a 1994 Aerostar extended length cargo van with the 3.0 L & 5 speed which I kept until 2012. Needless to say if they still made them I would buy one.
My parents ordered a new 86 Ford aerostar in August 85 XLT with digital dash 2.8 engine automatic transmission no AC but super sound system in a beautiful medium blue with dark Blue two tone as young kids we loved that van but my dad never maintained it blew the engine within 3 years
Yeah they were great utility vehicles.
I'm using an Explorer 4wd as an overland vehicle and it's great
We used to have a Chevy Lumina van and that was pretty good.
I had an aerostar four-wheel drive best minivan I ever had nothing can stop it the snow that it went through was just awesome wish they would make them again
I purchased a 1994 Aerostar XLT extended with a 4.0L V6 and was the original owner. Kept it for 16 years and it was still in excellent shape when I sold it with 150,000 miles on the odometer. It was an excellent all around family vehicle and very versatile. Excellent at towing, great for hauling 7 passengers and could handle 4 X 8 sheets of paneling or 8 ft 2 X 4's with ease. Had separate heat and air units for front and rear that could handle cold and heat very well. Purchased to wheels and had them fitted with all weather radials that could take studs. For winter months these were worth every penny. Made the van into an unstoppable tank in snow and ice. The van also accommodated our Collie that went on many family outings with us. Drove an Astro van for work and never liked it very much. Found the front wheel wells and engine cowling hindered front passenger comfort. Knew people that owned Windstars and they all complained about reliability issues.
Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs His comments mirror what I was saying in my posts above about our target customers, Tony.
Seconded
The FIRST owner ALWAYS experiences the BEST vehicle! THIS IS NEVER TRUE "down the line"!
Growing up my aunt had a 1993 Aerostar with the aluminum wheels and airbag, I loved it. My friends parents had an 89 that had the shifter in the floor- I thought that was so cool.
The rear wheel drive ones were good in because they came with limited slip diff.
Still driving 93 Areostar. 😊
Awesome I haven't seen one in the road for i swear over 20 years!
My parents had a 86 Voyager and replaced it with a 93 Aerostar in 1994. I was a young driver but got to drive both of them and far preferred the Aerostar. While the 3.0L was underpowered, compared to the 2.6L in the 86 Voyager it didn't feel like you were going to get run over accerating on the interstate.
Later on I got a 89 Ranger with the 2.3L and you could feel a big difference with the Vulcan in the heavier Aerostar moved it better.
I'll never forget the night we were driving back from a huskers game and dad was talking about how the van had the 4wd to his passenger and then we hit black ice on a bridge. Almost rolled the pos over and we were just kids back then.
Which dad?
I was in Ford powertrain engineering during this time, Tony. Aerostar exceeded planned volume almost its entire production span, until the final year or two. But dealers knew by then the new minivans were coming, so that hurt Aerostar sales. They bought few Aerostars for stock on their lot, because nothing was changing on them to attract customers.
Poling was concentrating on cost reductions to get us through a recession in early '90's, and after that Trotman / Nasser were busy buying and absorbing European brands under the Ford umbrella, leaving very little funds for Ford's American lineup. Aerostar got caught in that time frame, with very little new investment for full redesign.
What hurt sales most versus competition was the total lack of exterior freshening the whole time it was produced, not being truck-based or RWD. Aero spats and stripe packages didn't catch consumer's attention. Lengthening the body helped win more sales briefly, but that wasn't enough. Also, there was perception, not unfair, that the quality of interior materials on Aerostar did not compare favorable with the Chrysler minivans. If air bags had not been mandated, the interior would've gotten no changes approved by management, more than likely.
Windstar and Villager were actually market failures, with massive mechanical problems brought about by partnering with other companies like Nissan to save engineering cost internally. Ford did not totally control the development of those vehicles, and it showed. They didn't last as long in the market as Aerostar did. Trotman and Nasser did Ford no favors while they led the Company, being more focused on Europe than they were on the US market.
RWD was the right platform for consumers, people did in fact want minivans with towing capability. That's why we kept upsizing the V6 engine, beefed up the transmission, and added 4WD. But the anteater aero snout not changing at all throughout the vehicle's run is why Aerostar didn't continue to sell better.
I sold Aerostars in the late 80's. A majority of the decision makers in the purchase of a minivan were female, mothers of two or more children. They could care less about towing and were more concerned with the drivability and traction in snow (At least here in Pennsylvania but I would imagine that was the case anyplace it snowed). The sales numbers speak for themselves. I'm not saying The Chrysler product was better but it offered more of what buyers wanted.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs your zone was different then, nationwide the marketing data said towing and comfort (as in captain's chairs like people who bought Econolines preferred), so we made powertrains that could tow, and as I said, Aerostar was meeting objectives and lasted in the marketplace, Windstar was a flash in the pan and was soon gone because car-based did not hold up to the usage people wanted.
And for goodness sakes, it doesn't snow anymore!!! 😉
But we did 4WD for that, which was way better than FWD.
Static styling was the weakness for Aerostar, pure and simple. Chrysler did a couple of freshenings, one major, and that held their sales leadership.
@@rayrussell6258 I haven't looked at the Windstar just yet and I was out of car sales by the time it arrived.The AWD was a great system but it was too little too late for the Aerostar. I think Ford missed the mark for the target audience on this one. The minivan craze died as quickly as it became popular and the SUV took over. Ford was positioned well for that market once it became dominate.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs We agree on the latter regarding the quick market embrace of SUV's.
However, Aerostar was more successful than you wish to give it credit. It sold slightly more over its lifespan than the Windstar did.
I have to repeat though ...... not redesigning the Aerostar for its entire run is why it didn't overtake Chrysler's minivans.
4WD helped sales of Aerostar go a bit farther, so I can't say that addition was too little too late.
The Windstar replacement for the Aerostar had cooling issues with not enough air flow around engine cylinder head causing warped cylinder heads that were next to firewall.
My dad had a 95 that made it through two siblings before me. I got it with 296k on the odometer. It stopped counting as 315k. I drove it for 3 more years just doing oil changes quarterly. I’d buy one today.
In my humble opinion, the Aerostar was/is the BEST Minivan ever made! I've owned 7 of them (all long versions)... 3 whites, 2 greens, 1 red, and 1 blue. I have a bad back and the Aerostar's seats are the most comfortable I've ever sat in for long drives. The red one had over 350,000 miles on it and was still running fine when I gave it away. They were reliable, had good mileage, would plow through snow like crazy (the AWD version), were super easy to break into when you locked your keys inside, and with the back seats removed, you could fit a full size sheet of plywood inside. I'm driving an '03 Mazda MPV now (which I really like) but I miss the Aerostars every time I think about them. Aerostars rock!
Thank you for sharing your experience and for watching the video! I never said they were bad vans. They were not the vehicle of choice for a majority of Americans.
Thats great, but why so many?
@@franklinshriver8441 I'm not sure what you mean by your last comment. Chrysler was outselling Ford 2 or 3 to 1 in the minivan segment. Meaning that's what most minivan buyers wanted.
I remember my Assistant Scoutmaster had a 92 Aerostar XLT Extended Length with 4WD. I rode it in several times. It impressed me on one winter camp out that Aerostar made it through the unplowed hilly road to the cabin while the parent of another scout got stuck with her Chrysler minivan.
There was a 4.0L 4wd Aerostar as a utility vehicle at work. It kicked ass.
Had a 1990 Aerostar extended and loved it.
When I was growing up we had a 1987 model that was the family van
My mom kept it until like 2000
Many memories in that.
My dad also bought a 1990 Ranger that became mine in 2010
I drove it until 2020 until it couldn’t anymore.
Fords do last a while if taken care of
I don't remember exactly what year but my uncle bought a new loaded Eddie Bauer Aerostar,, he was a GM guy and I never quite understood why he bought it,, they always had Bonnevilles and Cadillacs, but he absolutely loved it,, he kept it longer than anything else I remember him having,, and it gave him no problems and it says something that he was all Fords after that until he died.
Thanks for sharing your experience and for commenting. It is appreciated
Had a 9? Aerostar Sport. Loved it! Drove it across the country several time. It got sandwiched in a three-car fender-bender. The frame got bent so Geico totaled it. I still have its floor mats in my 04 Escape.
RE the Crysler minivans. I once heard the reason the early four-cylinder models had nine seats is so eight people could get out and help push it up hills!
My cousin had one. It was great at the time. Many people used them for for music.
My father had an 89, car i learned to drive in. It had its interesting quirks like the read headphone jacks still meant that the front speakers were still on, it must have been designed by a smoker because it had 6 huge ashtrays and 2 lighters. the best part, they were really easy to do smoke shows. my poor dad used to wonder why it went through tires so fast!
That's awesome thanks for sharing!
My parents had a blue one when I was a kid. Our model had radio controls in the driver side rear wall and I used to drive my parents crazy by playing with them.
The R&D to develop a RWD small van using some Ford Ranger parts was probably cheaper than starting from scratch on a front wheel drive minivan.
It definitely was the cheaper way to go. Those that wanted a truck style minivan chose the Aerostar. Those that didn't went with a Chrysler
@@TonysFordsandMustangs
Did the front wheel drive vans get better mpg?
@@MustangsTrainsMowers depends on the power train and the load. My Aerostar, with all four of us and camping gear, did a consistent 25MPG on the highway and even when towing our pop up camper never went much below 15MPG. Driving it to work and back I got 18.5MPG like clockwork. Chryslers could do better but if you added a big load to the 2.2 or 2.6 four cylinder equipped versions you’d be lucky to stay in the high teens - the V-6s could actually get mileage loaded than the fours. The big selling point was they all did better than a conventional mid- or full-size RWD Detroit station wagon and way better than nearly all full-size vans.
@@johnscott6984 far better than any caravan my parents, friends, or my wife owned. My Freestar 4.2L got 18-20 family use and higher driving long distances, maybe 22+
80's kid here, those Ford commercials definitely were a trip down memory lane 😊
Thanks for watching!
Very informative video. In 1995 i traded a 94 mercury tracer for a 94 Aerostar, extended length xl trim. I had a family of 4 at the time and a third child arrived a few years later. My wife drove it for many years before finally losing interest in it. It served us extremely well and even more so after installing an aftermarket center console with a tv and vcr player. I took over driving it after buying her a new 03 Taurus for her. I commuted 90 miles a day in it for 5 years, putting a total of 225,000 miles on it. At that time the power windows stopped working, ac quit working and interior door trim were snagging on the door jams. It was summer of 2010 when temps were high here in the Arizona desert and gas was (only) $4 a gallon and i was done driving it to and from work. My toyota dealer just opened and cash for clunkers was a thing and goodbye it went for my first of (so far) 4 prius and a very good service experience with 10+ Toyotas purchased and leased from that dealer. Very good memories of that Aerostar stick around, even the one of the space shuttle commercial when i was coming of driving age and never knew i would eventually own one. Thanks for a great video and a trip down memory lane.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for the kind words.
Never had one but thought they were the best looking most AEROdynamic mini van.
I looked at one in 1993 at 16 years old while my dad was talking to a salesman about a station wagon. thought the van was pretty. a year later my dad bought a blue 1993 chevy astro van. we loved it. my dad loved it being rear wheel drive. we hadn't had a front wheel drive yet. our first front wheel drive was a 1993 plymath voyager mini van in 2001.
Grew up having an Aerostar in the family. I believe it was a 90 model year, extended Eddie Bauer edition with 4 wheel drive. I remember many roadtrips in that vehicle
Always liked the looks of these
I like how Ford compared the aeronautical design of the Aerostar to the Space Shuttle, which astronauts referred to as the flying brick.
I had a 95 Aerostar for 8 years then I bought a 2007 dodge caravan I still have the caravan both vans were great for the use for my family
My father had two of these in the mid 90’s when I was growing up. I loved them, the captains chairs, the comfortable ride, the headphone jack and controls, and the space, ect… . When he got rid of the last one and bought a Chevy Astro I absolutely hated it lol, it was nothing like the Aerostar.
The manual trans stuck around till 1995? Amazing. The Windstar was such a fresh looking modern vehicle at the time. It doesn't surprise me that it sold well
I felt so sorry for a guy years ago..Had to be around 1998 or 99. I was selling Nissans and a guy was trying to trade his car in.He owed 10 grand on a 60k mile 94 Aerostar XLT. It had nice equipment, but a fatal minivan flaw. This sucker was a 5 speed! He didnt seem to be in bad shape for a trade in going by book value, but real world value dropped like a stone because it wasnt a auto. Called several wholesalers, and no one would agree to paying more than 4k. Couldnt make a deal and never saw him again. Great vid!
Thanks for watching and for your comment. I sold Fords back in the day. There was always a few customers who were upside down in a vehicle for one reason or another. I'm sure you have heard the expression I feel real bad for that guy and his "Saab Story"
@TonysFordsandMustangs LOL..That was another one you were hoping wasnt trading!
@@autochatter No doubt.
Oh man, a 5 speed manual Aerostar would be the most highly sought after now. How things change....
@volvodude101 Kinda like the original Charger Daytona or Road Runner. From what I read they couldn't give those away when new.
Another great video! While working at Sears in Pottstown PA I spent a ton of time in a Ford Aerostar getting tires, brakes, exhausted, struts , etc from Reading and King of Prussia.... no AC or creature comfort. But that V6 with tiny tires made it a handful when empty in rainy conditions. Great Memories!! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching!
The van was a great grocery hauler and the little V6 was pretty zesty. I drove one on the weekends delivering kegs at the Jersey Shore. The appearance of that van was always greeted by cheers from the thirsty crowds.
My aunt used to have one. It used to be red, but the FL sun roasted the paint so that it turned a purple/pink hue. It always reminded me of Barney, because of the color, and the shape.
I had one and loved it, except for the electronic dash. Almost impossible to find one these days. After the Aerostar they went to wrong wheel drive and I lost interest.
Ford ALWAYS had "the knack" TO SCREW UP A GREAT CONCEPT!
I remember the first couple of year model vans had a lot of reliability problems. By 1990, they were a pretty reliable vehicle.
A market fail? There were a few years there where everyone was driving an Aerostar, a Caravan, or a Fiero. 1.5 million units over an 11 year run seems like a win.
Chrysler outsold Ford 2 or 3 to 1 most years. I wouldn't call that a win for Ford.
I had a 1989 Aerostar and loved it!!! It was a dream to drive pulling a boat and our camper. It sat seven people and our two children each had their own seat while traveling. I would definitely buy another one if I could find one.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience.
I had two of them 89 and a 92 one with the Eddie Bower and the other XLT both extended versions. They ran great and and held up well. I never considered them a tow vehicle but for a family of 5 the rig was big enough to haul the family, a couple of pets and all the luggage that went with it. It was indeed more truck like, but that is what I prefer and the size put it ahead of the regular FWD minivans of the day. We traded the last one in with 189K miles for a slightly used '99 2500 series Suburban. My sister-in-law had a Windstar....terrible reliability...replaced the front transaxle assembly 3 times, AC was fixed several times and she finally got rid of it.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
My mother in law had a Caravan and my parents had a Aerostar. The Aerostar was of much higher quality than the crappy Caravan. The Aerostar however was a rear wheel drive vehicle. The Caravan was front wheel drive.
I had a 1993 extended with manual transmission. It was the single greatest car I ever owned
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Aerostar advertising got off to the wrong start. In the Jan and Feb 1986 issues of magazines, ads promenately featured the space shuttle as a side-by-side comparison of shape.... until the disaster.
"Wrong Minivan for America?" Huh?! I bought a brand new Aerostar in '92 while in the military and in the process of several cross country and up and down the coasts moves. I bought it BECAUSE it was based on a truck chassis and could handle my growing family and all their gear and friends too and even towed my second car from WA to San Diego. I had it for 9 years and 178K miles before the transmission started slipping. Bought a stylish new Windstar to replace it for $28K with all the tricks. Half the car at twice the price. Plagued with electrical problems, front transaxle issues, top end gaskets, etc. Wasn't sure it was going to even make it to 100K miles. Traded it as soon as I could.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I have not heard anyone say anything nice about the Windstar. I said Ford missed the target audience with this product. I didn't say it was a bad van. The majority of minivan buyers were female and newer mothers. They bought the Chrysler product over the Ford two to one. Chrysler was selling over 400,000 minivans a year and Ford was happy to have half that number.
agreed, the Aerostar, and the GM Astro/safari vans could handle loads MUCH better with their more powerful engines and truck based mechanicals. I remember seeing soooo many Chrysler minivans dragging their rear bumpers and their front-ends pointed to the sky as they were barely able to maintain highway speeds, loaded with people and stuff as family headed on vacations, and their owners completely oblivious to how dangerously overloaded their vans were. Many bought Aerostars (and Astros too!) like you did for the truck chassis. I wish we could buy compact truck-based minivans and even compact trucks like the Ranger today!
My folks had 2 aerostars. I learned to drive one of them. Good memories
My brother had an '88 Aerostar. By 1994 - with just over 100,000 kms racked up - he was already on his second automatic transmission, both after the warranty had expired. Head gaskets had to be replaced the following year, after which he traded it in. Turns out these were not uncommon problems with the Aerostar.
I had 2 Aerostar vans both extended they made great work vans for me as a carpenter.
I remember seeing a lot of the windowless commercial Aerostar vans. Electricians seemed to love them. Looking back I think the biggest problem with the Aerostar was that it was at least somewhat underpowered and they drove and handled like trucks. But in its favor it was seemingly more reliable than those Chrysler minivans were.
It wasn't a bad van but it wasn't what the Soccer moms who loved minivans where looking for.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs we weren't targeting to soccer moms, but they still bought alot of Aerostars
@@rayrussell6258 Look at the sales numbers of the Chryslers and you will see why that was a mistake.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs when they were hot, they were hot, yes; except hardly anyone replaced fwd minivans with another, that is why I say what I say. Smaller SUV's with better powertrain/chassis/suspensions became your soccer moms' preference. Chrysler won a battle, lost the war. Chrysler went bankrupt. Ford made no mistake, in prioritizing and expanding SUV production.
@@rayrussell6258bingo. Do wish someone made a RELIABLE front drive minivan w/ decent mpg. Honda, Toyota, gm, Ford, dodge all had transaxle problems and same mpg as a v8 strain wagon 18-20mpg
The Voyager and Caravan were popular with women and where the choice preferred by soccer moms in the era before the SUV craze.
The Aerostar was the man's minivan. It was a superior vehicle in every way to the Caravan. It was more powerful, more rugged, could hold more cargo, and had a high enough ground clearance to take off road much like an SUV. It was more than just a vehicle for chauffeuring kids to soccer practice and also cheaper by about 3 or 4 grand. Compared to the offerings from GM, Chrysler, and various imports the Aerostar was the clear winner.
This was my first car as teenager. My parents owned it from '89 to 97 and then passed to me which I drove until 2000. I thought it was pretty cool because it could do burnouts bone stock. It wasn't a sleeper or anything but it was unexpectedly more powerful then one would think.
I'm not arguing any of what you said as I agree with most of it. The issue for Ford was that Soccer moms were the majority of the ones who were buying and using Minivans. Chrysler outsold Ford 2 or at time 3 to 1
The bodyshops called it the Ford "Deathstar". Lol. The later Windstar wasn't much better either.
Best thing about Aerostars were there front springs. Compound wound and fit in may 50-60’s cars to lower them about 2”. They are sill made today and are usually sold out.Moog CC850’s.
Thanks for the info!
I forgot how popular the Aerostar was during those years. But then, Ford was a much bigger company with many more production plants. A much broader lineup. The Windstar was better looking, but suffered with quality problems.
I grew up with one of these. By far the most reliable car we owned at the time, compared with all the GM stuff my dad kept buying. At least until it started having starter problems, where the starter would stick and keep cranking till it killed the battery or burned itself out. Happened a few times, stranding us. But anyway, as a kid, the inside was awesome. Roomy, captains chairs in the middle row, my siblings and I were happy as clams.
Had a extended version, made sense.
Ladder rack., great vehicle for the used market some time ago. ..
I had a 93 or 94 Eddie Bauer long wheel base. 4 liter v6. 4 captains chairs and rear bench. Took it to 300k miles. Traded it in, $500😊 toward a truck my son said he’d pay half. He did, every month, then I gave him my half. . A local waitress bought it from the buy here, pay here lot next to the dealership the truck came from. It was easy to identify as formerly mine. She thanked me for taking such good care of it. She was still driving it 3 years later.
I have heard plenty of stories like yours from former Aerostar owners and a couple from folks who still own them. They were decent vans. Unfortunately for those that did like them and for Ford a majority of minivan buyers wanted a car based, FWD vehicle.
My first drive was a 94 xlt ext, thing was a beast on both asphalt and dirt rural roads, I really miss bombing questhaven in it everynight around the turn of the millenium.
My stepdad had an aerostar years ago back in the late 80's to early 90's and he loved it he was a construction worker and it had plenty of room to haul all of his tools all over the country to jobs that he did Heck I live in a small town and I still see one from time to time. I also have driven it for my delivery job back then and it ran great.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Had an 86 model with the V6....loved how well built and tight the van was....two issues were the digital dash backlight with crappy and short lived lights and the front seal on the automatic transmission...had to keep replacing both and finally gave up on the Aerostar in 89....//
When I was married my wife had a Ford aerostar extended length all-wheel drive. We did have some repairs transmission went out. Overall it was pretty nice van
My first vehicle was a 1987 Aerostar. Only problems was the driver sliding windows leaked and the bumpers would break easily
The Aerostar was the greatest minivan built, so reliable. But they are getting impossible to find anymore.
We had a base model extended length Aerostar with the V6. It was a very good vehicle and we managed 160k miles on it before replacement. Only negative was changing out the passenger side rear spark plug! It was actually really good off road being truck based.
i worked in a tuneup shop back then, changed plugs on hundreds of aerostars during that time. the right rear plug is actually easier than it looks, you get at it from under the right side of the van using a spark plug socket that has an external hex, and an open end wrench.
We bought a 1986 Aerostar XLT when they introduced the 3.0. Great midi van.
I had an Aerostar for 22 years. I was a Ford Aerospace employee which was sold to another company. The worst thing was the back lights for the digital dash board went out and could not be fixed. I used it for hauling business stuff and camping with the second and third row seating removed. Bust a gut doing that. The Winstar was too much station wagon for me, I bought a Honda Element. (Also discontinued, but going on 15 years.)
Very awesome thanks for sharing your experience!
Had a '93 XLT with analog gauges and loved it. Traded our beloved 89 Taurus Wagon and immediately loaded it up for a family vacation for 5. Higher seating than minivans and waaaay more reliable than my buddy's Chevy Astro, which literally started falling apart on the way home from dealership. The Chevy was larger, had bigger motor and tires but the Aerostar was smoother ride and quieter. Kept it till 97 without ever having a single issue and well over 100k miles.
Thanks for sharing!
I forgot how far back in time that rig was introduced. 1986!
I bought a 93 Aerostar extended right off the lot. We bought it because we had a pop up camper. Sadly, it never gave much confidence in handling when I towed the camper even after taking it to 3 dealers to be sure the suspension and steering components were to spec. Also, the engine really didn't like pulling the camper either. The last straw was when the AC stopped working at 16,000 miles and the mechanic found the condenser was leaking at the high pressure port. The mechanic said every Aerostar he had seen failed at the same spot because the hose was always installed split put sideload on the condenser. As soon as the AC was fix, I traded it in and got a Taurus wagon. Now that car was amazing, rode like a limp and would climb snow covered hills like a 4x4.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!
I had a 1989 Ford Aerostar that I bought used in 1994. It was a 3l v6 and already had 60k miles on it and looked brand new, but it had a bad transmission. Once I had the transmission rebuild, this van became one of my most reliable vehicles that I ever owned. Move forward to the year 2001 and 230k miles on the odometer, a Nissan car cut me off on the GW Bridge curved off ramp to Palisade Parkway on a damp day, I lost control and crashed into a concrete barrier totaling this van.
I have a 1997 Lincoln Town Car Signature that I've own for about 14 years now (my most reliable car I ever own to date). I wouldn't mind owning this van again if I had the money and space to keep it in.
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your experience.
This 4 cyl van and later the crammed in v6 was simply a competitor to the Caravan, it was probably the most dangerous thing on the road that I can remember, the rear hatch would break your neck or the sliding door would chop your toes off, the power windows needed bi monthly window motors and the AC system was right behind them but the big problem that Ford never mentioned is that the van would not slide in a fast curve, it simply fell over from being top heavy or a gust of wind blew it over and oh the head gasket problems, I highly doubt you will ever see one of these in a museum.
I'm 56 and I've owned 4 93/94 Aerostars for delivery vans and got over 380k miles on all 4 and never had a engine or transmission rebuild. These were actually superior to other brand models. I wish I could find a really low mileage one because I'd buy it immediately. 😊
For people like you they made perfect sense. The Soccer mom's that were buying minivans as soon they they received a positive pregnancy test wouldn't buy them and that was the majority of buyers. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I DO NOT AGREE! Chrysler minivans were FAR SUPERIOR to anything Ford or G.M. "built"! I OWNED THESE! I KNOW THESE!
As a mechanic, my main problem with the Aerostar was the fact that servicing the engine was a nightmare. But it was actually a solid vehicle in my opinion . It was essentially a Ranger van.
I picked up a '97 extended AWD model about 5 years ago, mainly as something to haul odds and ends and ended up turning it into a camper van. Its been an awesome rig even with all this age on it, though only 65k original miles right now. I guess I m the oddball but the reasons that the rest of america wasnt too fond of it is exactly what I like about it, rear wheel based, drives and built like a truck, can haul a bunch of stuff and handles snow better than anything I ve driven, its also surprisingly nice handling and riding for what it is very comfortable. Its also a great conversation piece since people are always surprised to see one out on the roads
Those that liked this van did like this van. It just wasn't a majority of people. Thank you for your comment and for watching!
I love Ford, I’m a Ford guy. But my folks had an 86’ Aerostar and my poor dad had that thing in his buddy’s garage on the rack every single weekend they owned the thing. Don’t ever get a first year of a new model, guaranteed to be trash.
Biggest P-S I ever owned. Transmission, ignition switch, headlight switch, blower fan x2, A/C, power steering rack, distributor, radio....left me stranded several times. Then it rusted out.
When it did run it had great seats and for a young 20 year old offered a place to crash after a party.
My uncle owned 2 and never had a problem.
I guess they are not all built the same. Sounds like you had an issue with the harness which they should have fixed for you.
Was it already old when you owned it?
I bought a used green Ford Aerostar in like 2002 for like $500 in South Carolina. Was my first RWD vehicle I think it was the v6. Might have gotten on Autotrader mag or an online website don't remember. Seller was kind enough to let me crash on his couch for the night. Later drove it from Georgia to Washington State with my gf at the time. Used to take in processing soldiers at Ft Lewis out to Seattle to go drinking. I remember I tinted it and put 3 -10"s subwoofers in the back also had some custom Focal mids and highs installed. Amps powered the highs/ mids and subs. Only complaint I had about that minivan was you could feel the heat thru the firewall towards the middle on the cross-country road trip perhaps some work was done to it or that was just bad design. I liked how you could take the rear seats out easily and sit them in your barracks room like a mini couch, lol. Later sold it to a soldier who crashed his very nice Ford Focus SVT. I really liked the unique styling of the Ford Aerostar looked cooler than the Windstar or the Chrysler. Only thing I would consider over it was maybe an MPV. It would be cool to see them make a comeback either as a turbo gas, hybrid, or EV.
I had a 88, have owned 8 fords but one Nissan because of this van. Replaced 6 window motors, two wiper motors, and transmission at 60 thousand miles!
That sounds like it had some issues. I have gotten many positive comments about the Aerostar. More than I expected.
I had a 1990 Aerostar and it was fun to drive until the power steering motor went out. I had a shop install an after market version of the original and it made so much noise when I turned the wheel I couldn’t stand it anymore and had it crushed to the size of a coffee table. If you looked at it closely..lol.. you could see the power steering pump and it was still in tact. ..lol.. I’m sticking with Chevy’s from now on. My 2001 Tahoe is awesome. Excellent exchange. 😁
Resembling the space shuttle I loved it
Just saw this… I was a Ford line tech those years… and I’LL TELL YOU WHAT KILLED THE AEROSTAR… First I’ll start with crappy hardware.. not sure who supplied the hardware (nuts n bolts) for this gem, but head bolts-broke. Main cap bolts-broke. Then there’s that A4LD (automatic 4speed light duty)…. I was trans tech and I did almost nothing but these transmissions…. I could have one out, cleaned, spec’d and overhauled just after lunch, then have another one out and on the tear down bench as I clocked out for the day. Those broken head bolts required removing the engine…err I mean the body off, as we’d detach the front suspension, engine cradle and transmission and drop the whole lot leaving the body in the air. Two of us could do that in 35 minutes, yes we done tons of these. Don’t even ask about the “conversion” models… ugh.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I too was not a fan of the conversions. They used home furnishings and glued them to a cargo van.
Loved the aerostar
I remember when these where everywhere
I. nor my parents. did not own one of these, but I had family-friends with which I would carpool. They were very reliable and had good luxury features. I also drove several as a college student mini-bus driver. They were EXCELLENT at hauling people, no doubt. In fact, that was the only negative in my opinion--the odor. There was so much exposure to many passengers that there was no escape from someone or child vomiting in the back, and the parent/owner never could seem to completely eliminate the stench. The same goes for food that was accidentally left in the back to rot. I think the era of this van missed the era of pressure washers (by say, 15 years), and that probably would've solved it had they been concurrent.
I've owned Chevy Astros, Dodge Caravans, and Ford Aerostars of that period. The Aerostar was the most reliable and most enjoyable to drive of the bunch. It just looked weird.
I had a 96, swb with the 3.0. I kept using it as a truck, overloading it, towing too much. Cooked the transmission, replaced it with one from a 4.0, and bought an actual truck.
Ours kept breaking down. Valves electronics power doors you name it it broke.
The Chrysler Minivans were much more car like to drive and easier to get in/out of. I remember you had to “step up” into the aerostar. Growing up everyone had a Minivan. We were in the Chrysler camp, neighbours had an Aerostar, people across the street a Previa. The GM vans were just odd, massive dashboards and drove like garbage
My parents had an '89 Aerostar with the 5-speed in the gray color and its the vehicle i eventually learned to drive in and how to drive a manual....we took many trips to Florida or Pennsylvania in that van....it mostly had issues with the power steering or breaking the serpentine belt
The serpentine belt issues might have been related the power steering issue. Just makes sense. Thanks for watching!
Thanks these videos sure brings back memories growing up in the 80s seeing the vehicles we had growing up in the 80s. The Ford Aerostar seemed to be a better van compared to the Caravan and Windstars in terms of durability and towing capabilities .
Thanks for watching and I would agree it was a better van just not what the average soccer mom was looking to drive.
Our family’s Aerostar blew its gasket at relatively low miles for no apparent reason and also had lot of electrical door lock and window issues. It went away when the explorer came out.
Never have had a minvan but enjoyed your history lesson.
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!
I remember riding in my neighbors aerostar a handful of times when I was real young, like Kindergarten or first grade when my mother's car, a late 1970s? station wagon was in the shop for repairs, and thought it was a really cool minivan, this would have been in the mid 1990s. I don't remember what year or trim it was but I do remember the exterior was green, the seats were very soft and comfy, and it was a manual transmission, I'm guessing early 1990s, maybe like a '91 or '92. We lived in an apartment at the time and the neighbor had the aerostar until at least 2004, when my mother remarried and moved to the farm with my stepdad.
The Chevrolet Astro van rules this market.
We bought a new 1990 Eddie Bauer all wheel drive extended with no option left behind. It served us well as our family grew from 2 kids to 5 though it had significant body corrosion issues. We traded it in on a 1996 Suburban an never looked back. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for sharing your experience and for watching.
My first girlfriend drove an old rusted out Aerostar. She was an Irish Catholic girl that ended up going to nursing school. You know the type. That Aerostar got a lot of work in the back. Not from me, from her first semester at OSU....
What do you mean "you know the type"? Motivated?
A friend told me to buy the AeroStar since it was very reliable. Wound up buying a Plymouth Voyager instead. Was a nice vehicle except for the transmission. Went through seven transmissions while I owned it. The 7 70 warranty that I paid extra for came in handy for those first five transmissions. Chrysler provided me with a free loaner car while under warranty. Other than that it was comfortable to drive and relatively economical to drive with the 3 liter V6 engine.
You be smokin with the 3.0 mitz
Great video. In-laws in CA had one. Don’t remember what year or what V-6 but they bought it second hand. It didn’t last that long for them and got replaced by an Astro, which they drove the wheels off, didn’t really have any problems with, and sold it off with high mileage. Their Aerostar had suffered from various engine problems. I always perceived the Aerostar as cheaply put together and under powered. I would have preferred the good ole station wagon but by the time we needed something to haul kids, they were gone and we ended up buying a 2000 Windstar. Only vehicle for which I bought an extended warranty based on reputation, and ended up not needing it before it got traded for an Expedition. ThenAstros developed sort of a cult following. Don’t really see either of them on the road today, though
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had a guy that worked for me that owned 3 Astro Cargo vans. He loves them.
MPG difference between my newly redesigned 2003 Expedition 4wd 5.4L v8 and every minivan I've owned or been in is minimal. Same in city and diff of 18vs20 mpg at interstate highway speeds in hilly east coast is not going to make or brake anybody
I always did like Chrysler, but when you compare the two back then. . . . Ford had the durability and the better bill quality absolutely.
I bought a 1990 Aerostar in 2010 for 1400.00 $ with the 6 cyl. with 110.000 miles , drove till 150.000 ,sold for 1500,00 . I just bought some tires for it . Good painters van .
That's the way to do it! Thanks for sharing your story.