The rear sensing system is great and well worth the money. The dual power sliding doors are nice and were the main reason we looked at the vehicle in the first place.

The A/C definitely. I was very surprised to see that there aren't many complaints about the A/C in this vehicle. No problems with the transmission yet, but we have only put 7000 miles on it in the first year.

Overall we are very disappointed with the vehicle. The A/C compressor had to be replaced twice within the first 6,000 miles (the first was at 1800 miles). Unfortunately, after all the work it doesn't seem to blow very cold air anymore (not a good thing in Arizona). We only drive it when necessary and can't wait to turn it back in when the lease runs out in a year.

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We've had Caravans '88 and '94, a '94 Chevy Lumina, a '95 Aerostar, a '97 Chevy Astro, and a '98 Chevy full size conversion. We liked the Lumina and Astro the best. Normally we don't keep anything long enough to encounter too many problems, so the Windstar surprised us with its early problems. If the A/C worked well now, we'd be fairly satisfied.

NOTHING

TRANSMISSION, BRAKES, SENSOR SWITCH, ENGINE, SLIDING DOOR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, DOOR AJAR LIGHT. YOU NAME IT, WE'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH IT.

WE PURCHASED THIS VAN USED FOR 13,000 IN '98 W/ 26K BECAUSE WE NEED SOMETHING LARGER AND MORE DEPENDABLE THAN OUR '92 GEO PRIZM (HA! I WOULD BUY THAT CAR BACK IN A MINUTE---NOT 1 MAJOR REPAIR). UNLIKE THIS PIECE OF JUNK. DROVE VAN ON 3 VACATIONS TO BEACH (APPROX 1500 MILES TOTAL EA TRIP) EACH TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, EACH TIME WE TOOK IT TO FORD DEALERSHIP TO HAVE SERVICED. 1ST TIME SENSOR SWITCH IN DASH -- HAD REPLACED . 2ND TIME TRANSMISSION NEEDED SERVICING (HAD FILTER & FLUID CHANGED). 3RD TIME BLOWN HEAD GASKETS (WHICH WAS REPLACED YESTERDAY @ NO COST-- HAS UNDER 100K MILES) SERVICE MANAGER CALLS TODAY TOOK VAN FOR TEST DRIVE AFTER REPLACING ENGINE, DETECTS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS (SURPRISE, SURPRISE--I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU PEOPLE THAT FOR 3YRS NOW). IN FACT HAD IT IN THIS SAME SHOP 4 WEEKS AGO BEFORE GOING ON VACATION BECAUSE I SUSPECTED PROBLEMS. TECHNICIAN TEST DROVE SAID HE COULDN'T FIND A THING. NOW SUDDENLY THE WHOLE #&@ THING IF FALLING APART. WE STILL HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH EXPIRES IN 13 DAYS BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY BECAUSE WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED 4K MILES AFTER THE RECOMMENDED 30K MILES THEY WILL ONLY COVER HALF OF TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT WHICH ESTIMATED MY OUT OF POCKET COST WILL BE $1500.00. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ TODAY AS SOON AS THESE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETE WE WILL TRADE (IF ANYONE WILL TAKE IT). OH! I ALMOST FORGOT WE HAVE ALSO HAD THE BRAKES REPLACED 3 TIMES IN THE 3 YEARS & 56K MILES WE HAVE HAD THIS VAN.****PIECE OF JUNK DO NOT BUY****

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NEVER HAD A MINIVAN BEFORE, WILL PROBABLY PURCHASE ANOTHER BUT DEFINITELY NOT A FORD VEHICLE OF ANY KIND. HAVE HAD IN THE PAST TOYOTA, CHEVY & GEO WHICH IS MADE BY CHEVROLET & TOYOTA AND NEVER HAD MAJOR WORK ON ANY AND DROVE ALL TO WELL OVER 100K.

Roomy with many ammenaties for the family at a relative reasonable price compared to the other products. We would not have considered a minivan if it wasn't for Ford and Chrysler pushing the design envelop with dual rear power doors. This make the van very family freindly.

Transmmission. Although this was my wife's car, I would drive it on the weekends and when taking a fammily trip. My impression was that the transmission would shift hard. Although I personnly have always driven a manual tranmission and am fond of the control you get from the manual. So I though it was just my personnal bias to the manual that had me think the transmission shifted hard.

Well, it wasn't my bias to manual transmissions. At 39,092 mi the transmission let go. We have the vehicle in the at the Ford Dealer and there is so much metal in the pan that the mechanic fels this unit can not be rebuilt. Therfore we are stuck with a $2,800 replacement. We also had trasnmission trouble with a 1993 Explorer at 100,000 mi. I do not believe for can correctly select proper tranmissions. from the review of other reviews on the Windstar, it is clear to me Ford has a transmission problem with the Windstaar. Nearly a third of the review mention the trans as a weakness. This should say something to Ford Engineering. I should add that both of these vehicles have been regualr maintained and recieved their schedule maintenance checks.

Ford Motor cooompany will not help with the cost of the new trans. The obvious solution is that we are cutting our losses and trading the vehicle in for either a Sienna or Odessy.

Potential Windstar buyers should carrefully review past history to see if Ford cleans up their powertrain woes.

Except for the most recent troouble with the transmission, the vehicle has been reatively trouble free. Overall the Windstar is a good family vehicle. Other than the standard maintenance and checks our Windstar was trouble free until this passt week when the transmission went unexpectedly at 39,000 mi, just past the 36,000 mi. powertrain warranty. And so far Ford Motor Company has been unwilling to help with this costly replacement.

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1993 Ford Explorer and 1992 VW Passat the VW being the best having 152,000 with only the expected brake, shock, tire and exhaust repairs.

rode well, drove out good, looks great

transmissions factory defective, engines factory defective, general overall quality-what you expect from American autos. We had a 1 and half year Windstar GL and could only get $9000.00 for it-no one wanted it.

Our Windstar was a nice vehicle, however we were forced to dispose of it because it was literally going to junk. a.the transmission was going at 30,000 miles. b.the A/C on occasion would not work c.the two front seat were horribly hard and uncomfortable (our van had the special made front seat for rear access) My wife had to have physical therapy due to hardness of seat on her spine. We later learned the engines were also short lived as the transmission was.

I rate the vehicle as totally unworthy of consideration of purchase.

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Mercury/Nissan Villager LS. These vehicles ride rough, much windnoise,however it is comfortable, durable, no trouble, is safe and can trust it to stay together for long time.

Fairly decent gas mileage. Very spacious.

Stereo for a premium sound system leaves alot to be desired. Transmission shifts awfully hard. Cuts off on occasion. Rear drivers side powered window doesnt always work.

I would say that the Windstars looks are decent. I have had problems with the interior dome lights staying on as well as the door ajar light even when the doors are shut. I bought this vehicle used with about 36,000 miles on it and it now has less than 41,000 miles. It cuts off sometimes when you slow down to fast. (pulling into the driveway seems to do this the most) Overall I guess the vihicle is ok but I'm one of those people that don't care to much to own a van in the first place. Being that I have 4 kids I don't have many options. I have added a few things to the windstar to add to the looks and like the looks of it better now.

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had a 93 Dodge Caravan that I traded for this vehicle and wish I never did. I am now looking for an SUV like the Expedition.

Comfortable - very roomy with a great ride
Very good power
Leather interior is wonderful
Good styling - the two-tone paint on the SEL is striking
Many features for the price

Somewhat weak air conditioning, especially in the rear
Front cupholders are built into the ashtray/coin tray
So-so gas mileage

We paid $28,741 (below invoice) at Long-Lewis Ford in Hoover. This was our 4th new car/van purchase and by far the best buying experience. Ford's special 2.9% APR for 5 years made it truly affordable relative to our 1997 Odyssey. We were concerned about the Windstar's low score on this website, but feel that the overall score is biased because of reliability problems with older Windstars (esp. 1995). We have several friends with the 2000 model and they all love it. This van is great for us because we have three kids. There is ample room in the seating area and in the rear. After six weeks of ownership, we would recommend this van to anyone.

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1997 Honda Odyssey LX

Excellent highway car. Smooth ride.
Good pick-up and power.
Very roomy (even for 6' teenage boys). Lots of storage space.
Still an attractive design, even after 5 years.
Bought it used in 1997 with 44K miles on it. After a TON of highway and some city driving, it's sitting at 128K miles. Original tranny, original engine, no major repair problems.

Sensor switches on rear hatch and side doors are flaky.
Had to replace head gasket at 75,000 miles, but it was covered by a factory recall.
Brakes seem to not last as long as on other cars.
Although you can live without rear air, I suggest you get it, especially if you're living in a humid climate.

We paid $12,000 for it in 1997, with 44K miles. WHAT A STEAL!
I would HIGHLY recommend this car to anyone looking for a family-friendly minivan with TONS of storage room and a very comfortable ride.

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First and only minivan for us.

When everything is working it nice. I emphasize when though, because that is not very often.

Head gasket blew out at 67000 miles and fixed. Speed sensor has gone out three times causing the transmission not to know what gear to be in. Was going approx. 70 mph down highway and the digital dash started going between 0mph and 90 mph and the car downshifted to 1st or 2nd gear. SCARY!!! Electrical problems, sliding door falls off alot when it is opened, etc...... Will never buy another Ford, had similar problems with our Sable. We are currently looking at a Chevy Express

We have had the vehicle for 3 years and have had problem after problem since day one. Our brake light stays on, the check engine light stays on, It is in the shop all the time and we cannot afford a car payment and maintenance to fix all the problems.

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Other minivans, Dodge Grand Caravan was much better.

Smooth ride. Comfortable seats. Reliability

Door ajar light does come on at times when doors are shut.

This vehicle has been extremely reliable. We have over 148,000 miles without problems. We religiously change all fluids(including transmission fluid and coolant). We even tow a 2400 lb. pop-up camper without any sign of overheating. After reading the negative reviews on this site - I'm convinced we're blessed or that the reviews are not indicative of the Windstar universe. Most people don't log on these sites to praise their vehicles. Most are venting to blow off steam.

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None

Air conditioning so far has been good.

Engine, Transmission

The first year I owned this vehicle was great. I had no problems. Until...It all started. Overall the ride is good, but the engine and transmission SUCK!!!!! I was lucky I had not hit 100,000 miles cut off when my head gaskets blew. I was told when I had the work done that the defect was classified as a "warning" not a "recall". Recall information they send you out notice to come in and have the vehicle fixed. This is not done with a "warning". Ford just keeps its fingers crossed that your engine will wait untill after the 100,000 mile cut off before it blows up on you. Now lets talk transmission, $1800 to rebuild last year. Just recently it started not letting me shift into drive from parking. I am no machanic but it must be something with the clutch. Again I get to enjoy the public transprotation system while a pay for a vehicle that is sitting in my front yard. This is the second ford product I have purchase and the last. I will never again make this mistake. One more thing, the check door chim would keep beeping not matter how many times you opened and slamed the doors. This is the most "PAIN IN THE @%#" vehicle I have ever owned.

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I have never owned a van before so I don't have anything to compare to.