1993 Ford Aerostar XL 3.0 from North America

Faults:

Heater hoses, front transmission seal, radiator, passenger front brake locked up on the freeway.

General Comments:

It runs good, drives OK, but I'm frustrated with it.

A transmission seal went bad, and 500 to fix that.

Heater hose leaks; patched twice already.

The van wasn't driven a whole lot in its 19 years. I think that's why I'm having these issues.

Radiator blew last week. Gonna fix it tomorrow when I get paid, and get new heater hoses.

All in all, it's good. The motor runs great, and sounds mean when you punch it.

My wife drives an 88 Aerostar that we've had for 6 years, and hers is like the Energizer Bunny. Thought it would be cool if we both drove the same kind of van.

I think it will go for a while. I'm a Ford person; even have a tattoo on my right arm of the blue oval, yeah.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th November, 2012

25th Nov 2012, 13:17

Radiator fixed. The van works fine now. Have driven it every day. I'm a happy camper.

In reply to 25th Nov 2012, 13:17

2nd May 2013, 08:48

Update since putting in the radiator; no more problems at all, have gone 10,000 miles. I'm happy with it. It's how I get to school, which is 80 miles one way.

In reply to 2nd May 2013, 08:48

7th Oct 2014, 20:39

Posted these reviews 2 plus years ago. The van is still going good, no more problems. It's our main vehicle now, and it doesn't let us down. Runs great, and my wife doesn't want a new car; she wants to keep driving this Aerostar.

In reply to 2nd May 2013, 08:48

3rd Mar 2015, 16:54

The van is still working fine. It's our only vehicle now and is taking me 80 miles a day.

In reply to 3rd Mar 2015, 16:54

13th Feb 2017, 01:58

Van died in April 2016 (head gasket). Planned on fixing it, but junked it. Got a 2008 Ford Focus. It will be missed.

In reply to 13th Feb 2017, 01:58

21st Jul 2019, 14:09

I'm glad I came on this website, cos I was looking for anybody that had one, because I was planning on buying one today as a matter of fact. So like five hundred bucks for the hundred forty thousand miles on it; the guy says it runs pretty good, and from what you said it's been a pretty good van; just maybe have to watch out for it, especially that head gasket. So I think I'm going to pull the trigger and buy it, just to be able to move stuff around. It seems like you were doing a lot of moving at 80 miles a day, but you don't have too many complaints, so I figure if it just lasts me a good six months without any issues, I think it would be a good investment. Even if it doesn't last 6 months, I think it's a good investment for the price anyway with a hundred forty thousand miles.

Thanks for your update on your comments. I think that's the best thing about websites like this, is that people update issues, update problems and update anything going on with the van; it really, really helped out reading your comments that were updated. Thanks for your comments, thanks for the updates, and I hope this helps somebody if they're planning on buying something like this.

In reply to 21st Jul 2019, 14:09

22nd Jul 2019, 20:07

That van already has issues. If it didn't, you wouldn't be getting it for $500.

1993 Ford Aerostar XLT 4.0L from North America

Summary:

Bulletproof AWD rocket-van

Faults:

A/C didn't work when I bought it, and I don't care enough to fix it.

Calalytic converter clogged. (cut it open, gutted it, and welded back together ;)

Shift linkage broke inside steering column. ($150 repair)

Alternator.

Belt tensioner.

General Comments:

This is the best and cheapest vehicle I have ever owned. I recommend them to everyone, and bought another one myself 4 months ago for the wife.

It was a fleet vehicle for a mental hospital, and had a ton of miles on it. Picked it up for under $400.

I've used it for hauling, interstate trips, and the occasional logging road. I've never been disappointed or scared of it leaving me stranded.

The extended version has a ton of room. I am 6'3" and slept comfortably in the back a few times. The captain's chairs are great for keeping the kids from annoying each other, and with the back bench seat out, we have plenty of room for a dog and weekend camping gear. The flat floor of this truck-based minivan is great for hauling.

I had the cruise control set at 72, at 5:00 a.m. on day and whammo! A large black lab bolted onto the freeway, there was nothing I could do : (But to the van's credit, nothing really broke. I just had to replace my front license plate, adjust the headlight, and pull mightily on the wheel well (plastic rubbed on turns). I feel that in any other minivan, I would have been out a couple hundred bucks in repairs.

A well tuned engine with clean filters will give you 17 to 19.5 mpg. The 21 gal. tank gives you a nice fuel range. The 4.0 is one of the best Ford engines, it has all the torque you need.

The air lumbar is nice for long trips.

The steering wheel feels light as a feather.

When the catalytic converter went belly-up, I thought the tranny gave out. The converter got so hot, and do to the proximity to the tranny, it super-heated the tranny fluid to a boil and smoke was pouring out of the overfill tube. When I got to thinking, and calling around, I realized what had happened. I then ripped off the heat shields, drilled 2 holes in the CAT, and took a saw and cut a 3 inch wide U shape. Next, I took a big screwdriver and hammer and knocked out all of the 'honeycomb' ceramic. Since it was pretty easy, I went ahead and did the rear converter as well. I bent the metal back, put in some sheet metal screws, and fired the old girl up. Good as new! (quite a bit louder now). The next week I had a kid come over to weld it correctly.

The Aerostar is built tough, and about as low-profile as it gets. Besides from the bolt-on engine parts that are designed to fail, these vans run forever. The 4wd models are build with the heavy-duty transmission, if you keep an eye on the fluid, you should have no problems. Take a look around, Ford hasn't produced this car domestically for over 10 years, and they everywhere.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd November, 2007