Aerostar nightmare 1986


Date:August 19, 2007, 10:16 am
Name, Location:Mercy/South FL
Vehicle:Ford Aerostar
Year:1986
Modification:Eddie Bauer Edition
General comments:This vehicle proves the adage that all that glitters is not gold. We purchased the Aerostar brand spanking new, and might have done better, after a mere 42,000 miles, with a used something or other, that had a good dependability track record!
What things have gone wrong with the car:Almost as soon as the warranty expired, so did the van. At under 50,000 miles we dared not drive it but to the grocery store and back, as after some 20 miles the thing would overheat, leaving the kids and I stranded for hours on end! This was inspite of having replaced every hose and belt and the raditor, thermostat and cap, and the air unit, when that went out. Prior to hitting 55,000 miles we had to install (on the highway) an auxillary outside fan (attached to the grill and aimed at the radiator) just to make it make it back to Ft. Lauderdale from Miami! No one could seem to figure out why this was happening, and so it was but one expense after another, replacing this and that hoping it would fix the problem, but after more than $4000 in repairs and the risk it was to drive, with an infant on board, who'd undergone extensive open heart surgery and who required many therapies we oftentimes couldn't get to because of the risk of driving him in the van, it was a blessing to chuck it, regardless of the monetary loss, which was upwards of $34000, by the time all was said and done. Needless to say, perhaps, I have been skeptical of purchasing another Ford product, since the Aerostar, especially in light of the fact that in 95 degree heat, I had to walk our disabled child some 3 miles, to the nearest phone, after breaking down, yet again, and for the very last time. We traded it in (got 1500 for the thing, at 63,000 and but 6 years old) for a used Pontiac that proved faithful and true for 150,000, but for an occassional fan belt and 1 power steering unit. The mere thought of purchasing a Ford gives me the chills, though after much research I just purchased a 2005 Expedition/Limited Edition. If this doesn't pan out, it will be the very last Ford any of us own, and that's a shame, because Ford's as American as baseball and apple pie.
Previous car:Chevy Tahoe

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