Roomy, crashworthy (so I'm told).

Build quality not so hot. Squeaks, rattles, interior materials seem cheap.

Bought this thing used a year ago as the kidmobile. It is a functional vehicle, but not exciting or particularly nice. It makes a lot of noise as you go down the street--- squeaks, bumps, rattles, clicks... the chassis just seems kind of flexy and not too sturdy. The weatherstripping is coming off around the doors, the plastic bumpers are already faded and look ripply, like they have distorted from the heat. I am rigorous in my maintenance (all mechanics, regularly washed/waxed etc etc) but the van seems to be deteriorating nonetheless, more than a 2 year old vehicle should. On the upside, it always starts, goes OK (the V6 moves the thing right along), and does what we need it to do-- haul a bunch of people around. The gas mileage is poor, but that's to be expected for such a big carcass.

Basically, it's an appliance. Nothing much here to love or hate. If it makes it to 100000 miles with nothing major going wrong I'll be satisfied.

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None

A SOLID BUILT VAN. GREAT ENGINE PERFORMANCE. OUT RUNS SEVERAL SPORTS CARS A GREAT FAMILY CAR.

BAD SPEEDOMETER FORD WOULD NOT COVER UNDER WARRENTY AFTER 18000 MILES?

GREAT VAN PLENTY OF ROOM STRONG ENGINE COMFORTABLE SEATS GREAT OVERALL VAN NO COMPLAINTS. ONLY BEEN IN SHOP ONCE FOR TRANS. RANGE SENSOR COVERD UNDER WARRENTY.
I THINK A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLES PROBLEMS ARE FROM THE DEALERS THEM SELVES.
THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE AND DO TRY TO RIP PEOPLE OFF. THEY SAY SOMETHING IS WRONG AND THEY BELIVE IT AND END UP SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON A LIE!
ALL DEALERSHIPS

ARE LIKE THIS. WACTH OUT AND GET SECOND OPINONS!
I WILL ALAWYS BUY FORD MY WIFE LOVES THEM TO.

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86 MUSTANG AND 3/4 T0N 88 PICKUP LOVE BOTH OF THEM PURCHASED NEW GREAT VEHICLES.

LOOKS,RELIABILITY,STRONG ENGINE,TOO MANY TO LIST LOVE IT.

BAD SPEEDOMETER FORD WOULD NOT COVER IT.

IT IS OUR FIRST VAN WE BOUGHT IT IN 97 HAS 86000 MILES ON IT AND IT IS GREAT! REPLACED BRAKS ONCE,SPEEDOMETER ONCE,HAD TRANS.RANGE SENSOR REPLACED ONCE. AND THAT IS IT. ANOTHER TOP QAULITY PRODUCT FROM FORD!

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NONE. OWN ALL FORD VEHICALS.

3.8l V6 Engine powerful. Cruise at 65MPH at less than 2200 RPM
Driver's side sliding door is SUPER
Passenger compartment A/C and Heater is great
Better gas mileage than I expected (Better than 22 mpg)
Wife loves the grocery bag hangers on back of rear seat.
Super pickup when merging into traffic on freeways
Cavernous interior
The individual arm rests on the front seats very convenient.
Solidly built. Was rearended by a Toyota. Only scratched the bumper covering while totally disabling the Toyota. Body shop only had to replace the Bumper Covering, less than $200.

The back seats are too heavy and are difficult for one person to remove and install.
Takes a long time to wash and wax, it is soooo BIG :-)

Based on my experience and other owners that I know as well as reviews I have seen, it looks like Ford has finally got many of the problems associated with previous Windstars solved. This minivan is a "keeper". Based on my experience, driveability, decent gas mileage and government crash tests, this mini is highly recommended.

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1995 Plymouth Voyager. No comparison, the Voyager had too many problems in the first couple of years. The Windstar is coming upon its second "birthday" and the only problem has been soiled upholstry, which the dealer replaced under warranty (we noticed the defect during the test drive).

Styling, removable seats, leg room

Tailgate is stiff to close but better that than having it fall on my head.

To date, this has been a joy for us. It looks like most people come here to complain but I will not. The car has been rock solid, no problems, pretty good gas mileage and it is the FIRST car I have enjoyed driving. The ride is great and the removable back seats are a big plus. Our Irish Wolfhound has a large bed in the middle of the vehicle and plenty of room to stretch out. It also carries a load with no noticeable strain to the vehicle. The dealership experience was also top notch. Next time I would get drivers side sliding door.

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Chevy Astro (cracker box on wheels), Chevy Venture (too expensive), Dodge Caravan

Great, quiet ride. All the accessories you can stand. Sound system was great. Family enjoys riding in it. AC will freeze you, especially those in the rear seat.

Had blown headgaskets at 96,000 miles. Just had it towed to the shop becasue the motor was knocking(120,000 miles), tow truck driver told me the 3.8 motor was known for those problems. Estimated repair cost $2,800 to $3,000. Transmission slips when accelerating through a left turn.

Started out as a excellent van with all the features of my Linclon. Great ride with a little stiff stearing. Great family van. Not as happy with it 3 years + now.

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1991 Lumina APV van, driver's visibility much better in Windstar, acceleration in the Lumina was much, much better. 2000 Villiger, Ford more quieter, Villiger miles per gallon 22-24 while Windstar at its best a few years back was 19 miles. Before breakdown we were getting 16 miles per gallon.

-Roomy interior
-Great color

-Transmission slips and locks up. Have to put the car in neutral to start moving.
-Electrical issues (windshield wipers, door locks)
-Air conditioning

A piece of junk. I bought the van w/27,000 miles on it in May 1998 a choice between a Ford Windstar or Dodge Caravan. In August of 1998, it was back at the dealership becasue the air conditioner would start blowing cold air and within thirty minutes began to blow hot air. I was told a sensor had gone bad. Less than a year later, I was again back at the dealership for the same problem. I was told that the warranty on the "re-manufactured" part was for only 1 year, when I asked why was a "used" part put on, I was told the part was not used. Call me stupid! I took the van in to the dealership again for the same problem, it still occurs. I don't bother any more, I just wait until the cold air switches back over. Then we have the rough ride even after tire rotations, a transmission that slips and locks up at a stop sign/light in city traffic, windshild wipers that just stopped working one day or the electrical door locks that everyone can hear locking a football field away. Ford should pay consumers to drive their cars. The only other Ford I would even be tempted to purchase would be a matchbox car.

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My husband's 1990 Plymouth Sundance give us far less problems and it has over 200,000 miles.

None

Major component parts NLA

This is an update on my review from May 2001. If you have an engine failure like I did with my 96 Windstar with a 3.8 engine check this out. The shop that is rebuilding my engine has a slight problem. The Ford Motor Company no longer has the cyclinder heads available for the 96 models. It is a one year only casting number. I called Ford to complain, and was told that they offer rebuilt heads. I asked them to send me one and guess what, they were out of those as well. If Ford cannot produce parts for a 5 year old vehicle or keep any in stock what does that tell you? Ford needs to recall or buy back anything with a 3.8L V6. They are truly an engineering nightmare.

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91 Voyager. excellent minivan, had 265,000 of service before retiring it.

Comfortable, good sound system, excellent front and rear air conditioning, good quality interior

Too many things breaking and failing (see overall impression for details)

We purchased a new 1995 Ford Windstar GL with towing package in May of 1995. We generally enjoyed the vehicle during those times when we were not having problems with it. The vehicle drove well, was comfortable with good interior quality, had a nice sound system, and the front and rear air conditioning was particularly nice. The dealer was cooperative about warranty repairs but not always competent (see below re shock absorber incident). After a while we didn't always go to the dealer right away when a problem occurred (unless it was safety-related) because we figured that other things would break and we might as well use the $100 per visit deductible on our extended warranty to get multiple things fixed in a single visit to the dealer. Here's a rundown of our experiences.
August, 1995: intermittant failure of engine computer, took two tows to the dealer to get it fixed.
May, 1996: right rear shock begins leaking, passenger compartment blower chirps at low speed setting, both replaced by dealer
July, 1996: rear hatch will not unlock, taken to dealer and fixed.
September, 1996: rattle develops in right rear of vehicle, sounds like sliding door, after three days at dealer and disassembly of door cause is diagnosed as right rear shock not being tightened properly (from previous visit to dealer)
October, 1996: taken to dealer to get installation of sliding side door clips broken during previous dealer visit
February, 1998: taken to dealer for recall involving hood
August, 1999: ignition switch replaced, replacement of passenger blower for second time due to chirping at low speed, broken rear hatch power lock fixed by dealer
January, 2000: replacement of accessory belt tensioner
August, 2000: third replacement of passenger compartment blower due to chirping, replacement of sensor for side sliding door
April, 2001: taken to dealer for fourth replacement of chirping passenger compartment blower, problem with rear hatch sensor, and slight coolant leak. Dealer determines that timing belt cover has failed and allowed coolent to seep into one of the cover bolts and rusted the bolt inside the engine. Windstar is at dealer for 1.5 weeks. Rear hatch sensor replaced, passenger compartment blower replaced, intake manifold gasket replaced, timing belt cover gasket replaced, valve cover gasket replaced.
April, 2001: Windstar traded in just before extended warranty expired.
Recommendation: Ford may have been able fix a lot of these problems in later models but I still would recommend buying an extended warranty if you can. Doing this saved our assets!

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No experience with similar products

Good power & torque for it's class. Good composure in the wet & snow. Stellar safety record that we unfortunately had tested at 3 days old, but fortunately no injuries or unrepairable damage.

Poor ergonomics and layout, very typical of Ford. Especially the speedo, hash marks every ten mph is lame. Fit & finish could be better. Lame excuse for a dealer network. Most I visited were morons.

6 mos. in it has been a great vehicle. One trip back to the dealer for some cosmetic fixes. Purchased for the wife, I did not expect to like a van but it has really grown on me. The video system is great to keep the young one occupied. All the electronics are working w/ no problems. I'm glad I took the extended warranty after reading the other reviews, but I suspect most of these people spend more time online than following the maintenance schedule. When you notice a problem - take the vehicle in immediately! Change the oil! And, lube those door hinges!
I shopped about 8 dealers before I found a Blue Oval shop that I felt comfortable with. If a dealer breaks things it is a good indication you need a new dealer.