Should I buy an Aerostar?

[vangogh]

I have 800$ budget and I need a safe van for my family. It snows a fair amount where we live and we like to go camping alot in the summer. A 2wd wont cut it for us.

I'm trying to decide between

1994 Aerostar e4wd gramma fresh all maintenence up to date imaculate interior engine I would could cook on but destroyed winshield 22x xxxKM 700$

1995 Astro AWD 27X x.. everything works. $800

Toyota previa awd 300+km $800

Mazda MPV awd 300+km $800

Is it worth it to potentially go over budget to fix the clean aerostar when there are other more used but turn key options available. And very importantly how does the aero e4wd hold up to cold snow and icy mountain roads?

 

[jprentice94]

Get the aerostar and lift it

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Get the Aerostar, but insist that they replace the windshield before you get it. If they won't, then have them deduct a couple hundred from their asking price since it won't pass inspection with a broken windshield. In my experience with leaking & improperly installed windshields, only have one installed from a place with a written guarantee. The cheap places aren't always the best places. Major chains such as Safelite honor the warranty in any location, but cost almost twice as much as the no name Mom & Pop places.

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

I'd go for the Aerostar. I've owned and driven other minivans and I prefer the Aerostar, hands-down. The ride quality, the ease of repair and the reliability of the 4.0L makes the Aerostar superior to other truck-based vans (Astro). It is more durable and cheaper to repair than the imports (Mazda and Toyota), not to mention much safer than the Previa which is a fragile egg that will not hold up in a collision.

Say, for example, your transmission goes out on one of the vans. The Aerostar is going to be cheaper to rebuild/replace than any of the others. The Previa in particular will be hard to find parts for and is difficult to work on.

Besides, from your list, it seems that the Aerostar is the cleanest and lowest-KM van. I'd say even if they don't replace the windshield, you're still getting a good van for the money.

 

[vangogh]

I read on here that I can put larger tires on it if I put explorer wheels on it what else needs to be changed? will it affect reliability? Towing? odometer?

Somebody mentioned lift. Can it be lifted a couple inches cheeply if I wanted to do that in the future?

I think I'm gonna try to get them to split the cost of a new windshield with me.

Anybody have feedback on how it handles snowey mountain roads we live up a rarely plowed steep windy road. Our other vehicle is a subaru imprezza wagon and sometimes it struggles up hill.

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

I have no idea how an E4WD Aerostar handles the snow, but it is more truck-like than an Impreza so it should be better.

I put 16" Explorer wheels on my '96 2WD Aerostar, had to go with lower profile tires because they would hit on the suspension/body otherwise. My wheels came from a 2003, but if you got some from a previous-generation (like '91-94, '95-01, etc.), they would probably work easier, especially going with 15" instead of 16".

I've seen lifted Aerostars but I have no idea how to go about doing that. It would certainly make it easier to upgrade to Explorer wheels.

 

[vangogh]

Thanks guys I went with the aerostar wish me luck. $650 for the aerostar but $250 for the glass. so 100 over budget. But overall it feels much less used than all of the other options. The radio was even tuned into god hour as if some little old lady just drove it to church and back on sunday. I will post pictures later. If only the seats folded into a bed like the commercial.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Which place is going to replace the windshield?

 

[JohnAerostarXLT]

You can possibly find seats out of an Aerostar that was capable of folding into a bed in the junkyard (they did make them).

Glad you made the right purchase, and I really hope you enjoy your "new" van! I know I certainly love my Aerostar!

 

[vangogh]

I found a windshield at a junkyard for $90 might be able to beat the guy up for 10 or 20 though haven't tried yet but $90 seemed high. and speedy said they would put it in for 130 can/bc 14% tax inc so I'm looking at 200-220 for the windshield. Unsess I can find a local shop that does certified work for less. My other quotes were more for the install and less for the glass than speedy but all quotes worked out to well over 300 approaching 400 for brand new glass+install. speedy gave me the lowest quote for labour and highest for the glass. I really wanna keep this van closer to $800 than $1000. But I paid 650 for and it drives like a new car with a busted windshield.

 

[mmerlinn]

Your choice of the Aero was by far the best choice. Taken care of, barring unusual conditions, it could easily go past 400,000 miles before nickel and diming you to death.

Be sure to religiously change your oil every 3000 miles. Oil is cheap and your motor will last years longer.

 

[vangogh]

I am used to purchasing older vehicles( in that I have never bought a new one and I'm now on my 8th vehicle all of which were new to me.) I have learned to buy vehicles that serve my need and are workonable (ya thats my word). I have owned 2 fords a ford econoline chassis camper and a ford taurus(which was gifted to me) terrible car loved the econoline though with the 351m it was a beauty in that I'm not even close to a mechanic but I did the rings put a new carb on and fuel pump all without breaking a sweat. I look forward to being able to put 100k on it. its baby fresh

 

[jprentice94]

Hows the aero

 

[SurfVan]

Yeah... I can't believe you scored a $700 4wd vehicle with all the maintenance up to date. I don't think that's possible where I live.

Would love to see some photos.

 

[Gator417]

Nice pull! I had a '95 XLT (Andy, because he was so handy). I did all manner of construction from it, as well as a little bit of surveillance. It was almost invisible to most people in the neighborhoods where I worked, and I never ran out of space for hauling supplies. Very reliable, even with the high mileage it had. It was by far the most versatile vehicle I ever had, right until a tank of bad gas destroyed the engine. Good luck to you.
Gator

 

[vangogh]

Its great love the Aero it drives great very responsive for a van. its clean in and out. Only real beef is the fuel mileage but its a ford and a capable one at that so I'm ok with it. I get about 700km per fuel up. My dodge 3/4 ton diesel gets about 1000 but its diesel and hardly a family wagon.

 

[mmerlinn]

I don't see any reason to beef about your mileage. With a 21 gallon tank you are getting over 30 mpg, which is even better than the 23 city/26 highway that I have been getting for years with my 93. And that is also a lot better than any but the tiniest of cars.

 

[kkjb4x4.0]

He's in klm;s,,more like 20mpg I believe,,not too bad for a 4wd van.