Dual sliding doors, excellent safety ratings.

Several recalls on electrical-types of problems, road noise, mileage, transmission, uncomfortable seating, lack of storage

Don't buy this vehicle!!! The resale value is terrible! We just got rid of it... finally, but we took a huge hit. We couldn't get more than $6,000 for it. We had nothing but problems with it... it's been recalled several times, which is annoying, and we've had to have the brakes and air conditioner replaced. The road noise was awful... you literally could not carry on a conversation while driving down the road. It had several annoying rattles that no one could ever quite find, and the transmission would slip periodically, especially when accelerating quickly. We purchased this when we started our family because at the time it had the best safety ratings of any mini-van.... we always felt very safe in it, but we always feared what repair bill or recall notice was coming next. It was roomy in the front seats, but completely lacked any storage of any kind. Also, the seats were very uncomfortable. There was ample leg room in the middle row, and lots of cupholders, but the 3rd row offered no legroom, and was difficult to get in and out of. The 3rd row seat is HEAVY. No mom I know is strong enough to remove that seat by herself. It really is a 2-person job. And it's inconvenient that it doesn't just fold down. The turning radius was terrible, and the mileage was terrible!

Very spacious inside.

Poor electrical system, poor gas mileage, and poor braking system.

They say that your vehicle is the second biggest investment you'll ever make. What a big error I made when I purchased my 1996 Windstar. So far we have had 4 new wheel bearings for the front passenger side, complete brake system more times than I care to mention, rear & front wiper motors, new radiator, new water pump, electrical problems which include the fact that the vehicle is always live in that without the ignition switch on the windows will roll down, the interior light stays on, the speedometer needle flips around (costing me three tickets for speeding), Completely new ignition system, cigarette lighter sockets won't work, reverse lights don't work on many occasions, 4 brand new batteries in less than a year, new vehicle speed sensor, new transaxle sensor, and it overheats a lot of the time. Many more problems too numerous to go on. Whenever we've asked the dealer about these problems they tell us they've never heard of the problem before and we're still left with not knowing for sure how to cure the problem. Just trial and error. Am I pleased that I bought this vehicle? Definitely not. I can't sell it because I'm still making payments on it. I'm fortunate in that I have a mechanic on hand to put most things right or else I would've spent more than the vehicle is worth just on labor. I wouldn't recommend this vehicle to anyone, especially if they want a reliable vehicle

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Toyota 4 X 4 1993 (Loved it)

Engine runs great. Gas mileage has remained stable since purchase. seats easy to remove. Had tacometer so can gauge speed without the speedometer.

door sensors,ABS sensor, rear wiper motor, Spedometer

Bough this van in 1998 with 28,000 miles, it now has 110,000. I have had constant problems with the door sensors coming on which makes the dome light stay on which kills the battery.I have had them replaced 6 times already and they have never worked right. VERY ANNOYING.I have given up on repairs and now I carry a wrench every where i go to disconnect the battery to reset those darn sensors. Have had rear wiper motor replaced twice and is broken again. Spedometer busted at 80,000 miles, cost $500 to replace, broke again 8 months later. Cant change the spark plugs because of engine position. Had to have entire van rewired due to shorted out in '99. Nothing but problems. Now the timing cover gasket is leaking and is 13.5 hour repair.Child door safety lock malfunctioned and couldn't open sliding door at all. ABS sensors constantly malfunctioning from day 1, light comes on and off all the time. Mechanics find nothing wrong.I can't wait to get rid of this piece of junk

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Dodge Caravan (total garbage)

Plenty of power. Rides great. Lots of room.

Gas milage is not nearly as good as my 98 contour wich was equally as much a good car. Saved my childrens life in a 60 mph side impact.

I absoulutly love my windstar. I don't know how we ever lived with out it. The ride is amazing with plenty of power to boot.

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94 f150. 98 contour. 95 f150

Room and Comfort

Workmanship, Durability, Reliability

I concur with most of the Ford Windstar reviews. This Minivan is garbage. The electrical system is hay wire (interior lights won't turn off, Automatic windows don't work etc.), the transmission is now fried, the brakes and rotors are constantly in the shop, ad infinitum. I'm kicking myself because I traded a Toyota Echo in for this piece of junk !! I just bought a 2004 Corolla (which is great) and I've learned my lesson about "buying American" and Ford in particular.

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1997 Dodge Caravan, 1990 Dodge Caravan

Looks, power, luxury galore, comfy seats, and creature comforts all over. Love the tv/vcr...great for kids. Reverse sensing system is a great feature along with the power sliders.

Had a problem with it at 149 miles. When you would put it in drive it would be in neutral, in reverse...drive. Took it in and the shift interlock box was open....they had to take the whole lower section of the dashboard off to replace the box. Also the windshield wiper momtors went out at the same time. They replaced eveything and the dashboard was put together perfectly. Service has continually been tops. Now has 9,000 miles and we recieved out first recall for the seat latches. No other problems to report.

I love my Windstar! We looked at the Oddesey...too boring; can it get any plainer? Checked out the T@C and dodge vans which were nice but the one we/I wanted was $35,000 and they weren't willing to negotiate as much as Ford. Checked out GM's vans which were nice as well but too slow and the interiors were a bit on the cheap side. So we ended up with the full boat, top of the line 03 Windstar Limited. MSRP was just over $36,000 but we got it for an amazing $28,500! The Estate Green metallic paint is absolutely amazing and is so rich looking and holds up really well against the rock salt up here in PA. Two-tone leather looks great and the heat warms up to the perfect temperature. The wood, chrome, and leather is perfectly placed and is all over without being overly done. I think it looks better than any other van out there....even the new vans that have come out.

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96 Windstar..junk. 98 Windstar...75,000 trouble free miles.

It is big.

This is an unreliable, horribly built vehicle by a company that doesn't care. Electrical, transmission, and steering are major problems.

I bought this piece of junk in the summer of 1997. Immediately we had problems with electrical (e.g., power locks wouldn't work, overhead light would come on and wouldn't go off etc.). At a mere 11,000 km we had to replace most of the front end including tie rods, steering column, etc. We noticed right away that the transmission seemed odd. The thing made strange noises and the transmission would hesitate. Reporting these problems repeatedly to our dealer inevitably resulted in head scratching and assurances that it was all 'normal'. We have also had nearly constant brake problems and have had to replace brakes and rotors despite regular maintenance. Now the transmission is slipping at 110,000km and will likely need an expensive repair. On the net I see this is a very common problem. The hood latch has also never worked properly. Do yourself a favor, do not buy a Ford or a Ford Windstar. I'll never buy a Ford again. My previous car was a Toyota Corolla and in 7 years I had ZERO problems! I thought all vehicles were well built but was I ever wrong.

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Toyota Corrolla VW Jetta

Roomy.

Every time I drive this van, I feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb.

We bought this van used at 33,000 miles. From the beginning, paint flaked off of the roof. We had it replaced under warrenty. 30,000 mi later, it flaked off again, this time at our cost. For the last year, the door ajar light along with the annoying chime have sporadically come on - despite all doors being shut. Two nights ago, the interior lights would not go off, despite the van being off. I had to disconnect the battery trying to "re-boot." It didn't work. So, I had to disconnect all of the lights that weren't on an independent switch. This van rides clumsily, and is not very manueverable. I've heard of many others with Windstar problems. And, I'm going to get rid of this as soon as humanly possible.

Seats my family of seven quite comfortably. I can also fold down the rear seats and slide in a 4x8 sheet of drywall in with no problem.

Just about everything else. Turning on the windshield wipers requires you to go through all the "delayed" settings. It's kind of like winding a music box. The design of the center cup holder is right out of crackerjack.

I bought this van from an independent dealer in 1998 with 20,000 miles on it. Our problems began almost immediately. We have replaced the head gasket twice, and had other coolant leaks resulting in costly repairs, not to mention having my wife & children stranded. The check engine light has been on more than off in the ensuing 76,000 miles. A different thing every time, and all of them expensive. At this point, we can't wait for the check engine light to burn out. Most of our driving is country roads, but we have still replaced the brakes 5 times. The rear window wiper seized the first year. The speedometer sounds like an old wooden roller coaster and is not within 20 mph of your actual speed. I have had it to the dealer for the ABS brakes pulsing during stops at least 6 times and they are still not fixed. More than half of the time, the "door ajar" light stays on with all the doors closed (slammed, in fact) with the added benefit of the ding-ding-ding warning and the interior light staying on until you reach 25mph. Even my dog hates this van, probably because of the foul mood it leaves me in when I have to drive it. Everyone that I have ever spoken with from Ford must have their personal stock portfolio tied up in GM or Chrysler.

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I have never owned anything this bad. If the pioneers had gone west in Windstars, California would still be an unsettled paradise and we would have been spared the whole Grey Davis debacle. If you really want to get back at Osama bin-Laden, buy him a Windstar.

Cheaper Price. But you'll pay more in the long run after all the repair bills. I'd go ahead and pay more for better quality next time.

Motor, Transmission, Drive Train. (All the important stuff)

Wouldn't recommend to anyone! These Vans are lemons and will drain your checkbook! If you have one - Unload it while you can! Had to take in for four recalls the first year alone. Brakes and Rotors are shot by every 20K. At 42K the Rack & Pinion went out $700. The engine light comes on every 10K and it's something different wrong every time! ($650) At 77K the Rack & Pinion went out again.($700) Here we go again, and it gets more expensive every time! From what I am hearing the Transmission is next. After listening to several independent mechanics I've decided to ditch Ford and go with a GM product from now on.

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99 Ford Taurus: Rack & Pinion also went bad. ($750)