1993 Ford Aerostar Review

Jack of all trades

Written by: Wayne Canant on 08/15/2007

Vehicle

1993 Ford Aerostar 2 Dr XL Passenger Van

Review

Aerostar XL 4.0 with front & rear ac. Purchased with 125000 miles, wrecked with 259,790. Excellent foot room driver/passengers. Rapid rear and middle bench seat removal for hauling cargo. Battery, pass headlignt, tail lightbulbs, air/oil/trans/fuel filters easy to change. Filler neck for fuel is beside drivers door,(excellent location for security) Fuel mileage 23mpg at sustained 70mph Fuel mileage 16mpg in town stop n go. Excellent acceleration at all speeds. Excellent load capacity. Minor points of iritation; Alternator is right below oil filler neck. Have to guard aginst drips. Driver side headlight bulb requires tools time and care in changing. Ignition switchproblem

Favorite Features

Being a rear wheel drive, makes the weight distribution front to rear with smaller turning radius justification enough. However, opening the driver door and simply sliding the right, into the seat did away with back and sprained ankle pain I suffered in other vehicle designs.

Suggested Improvements

Aerostar mini van no longer in production. Bring it back.

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Ford - Resurrect the Aerostar!

Written by: Cobra Pilot on 12/20/2005

Vehicle

1993 Ford Aerostar 2 Dr XLT Passenger Van Extended

Review

Our XLT 2WD Extended - best all-around vehicle we've ever owned (out of 16). Invaluable as people mover with 7 seats as well as a cargo hauler with the seats out. We have moved tons of furniture and computers in it this way. We have used it to move kids off to summer camp in NC (from northern VA) as well as to college and home again over many years. Without it, would have had to rent a moving truck/van at a cost that would have paid for 20 percent of the new cost of the van itself. We even moved an upright baby grand piano in this baby! The interior height is sooo much better than what you find in other minivans. Very reliable. Low cost to operate. City/hwy avg of 18 mpg. Ford - Bring it back!

Favorite Features

Flexibility w/quad captains seats and rear bench/bed configuration is wonderful! We take out rear/mid seats and haul lots of cargo while seating 2 people. Add one captains seat amidships for 3rd person - 2nd captains seat to add a 4th. This still leaves lots of cargo volume. Flat floor and low load height is invaluable.

Suggested Improvements

The location of horn 'buttons' should be ILLEGAL! Too hard to find when needed immediately - when driver makes unexpected move into your lane. Front floor cupholder - has to be Fords worst! Changing headlights, dash, & radio bulbs - make easier. Add motorized venting rearmost side window and a sunroof.

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My rear wheel drive BOX

Written by: Audwin Ross on 09/01/2005

Vehicle

1993 Ford Aerostar 2 Dr XL Passenger Van

Review

Great van to own and drive around the place. Very comfortable to sit in the driver's seat. Only problem is with the ignition switch that has problems with the ears where you have to line it up just right to get the key in to start the vehicle. 3.0 engine has an excellent track record, which makes this a much better and reliable van than the sorry 3.8 liter V6 that Ford put out for the Windstar. That Windstar was a failure and disgrace to the FORD name. Ford should bring Aerostar back with a few improvements. The best thing about it is: you guessed it "REAR WHEEL DRIVE" -- that is music to the ears of mechanics and people like me that are not big fans of front wheel drive! GREAT VEHICLE!

Favorite Features

Good radio. trouble free transmission, nicely laid out dash, roof rack, easy to change battery, comfortable seats, great handling, plenty of room, fold down read seats makes it easy to carry lots of things without taking out the seats, good paint characteristics, easy to wax.

Suggested Improvements

Ford's design of the seals for the air conditioning needs improvements. GM and Chrysler have them beat on the reliability of air conditioning. Problems with the brakes -- you have to get FORD brake pads to get trouble free service. Flimsy design of power window switches. More lighting for interior of van.

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Not a bad vehicle

Written by: Andrew on 06/29/2005

Vehicle

1993 Ford Aerostar 2 Dr XL Passenger Van

Review

I bought this vehicle to use for a courier service. I have put 10k on it since the purchase over 2 months ago. Was doing pretty good, then the transmission went. Such are the joys of a used vehicle without maintenance records! If you need a cheap minivan that's cheap to maintain, these are still a good purchase. Just look out for body rust (especially along the seams on the roof), electrical problems (power windows and locks) and transmission noises/leaks are bad news in this van. Braking is good, but these vans are known for chewing up front pads/rotors, since the front brakes do all the braking. The AWD (also known as E4WD) version can be expensive to fix.

Favorite Features

Ride is a good mix of truck and car, better when loaded. Economy from 3.0 V6 (19 mpg in 50/50 mix of city and highway). Excellent view outside. Can fit a lot inside, floor is completely flat when seats are removed. Simple, cheap, RWD truck-based mechanicals.

Suggested Improvements

The Aerostar died in 1997 due to the rise of SUVs, the general disdain for owning a minivan and the cost for Ford to bring a 1980's design up to date. Too bad, the Aerostar is good for hauling people and things places. I'd much rather have an updated Aerostar over the Windstar (uh, er... Freestar).

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Still Rolling

Written by: StillRolling on 05/08/2005

Vehicle

1993 Ford Aerostar 2 Dr XL Passenger Van

Review

Van has 271,000 miles on it. Still drives well, extremely reliable. Only minor repairs. Nothing exciting about the design, but very practical with lots of storage. Gas milage is very good, considering it is a box.

Favorite Features

Storage, fuel mileage, and dependibility.

Suggested Improvements

Door panels, and side door system is cheaply constructed.

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