Leather seats are great. Digital panel very easy to read. The van drives like a car, and is very comfortable for a family of 4 for the money.

We had a loud knocking noise that we paid over $300 to fix due to the manifold problems, and it came back the next week. The back reflector has warped in the heat & had to be replaced. Too many recalls. The gas pedal sticks every time I try to pull out into traffic...very dangerous. The air cond. doesn't come out of the front vents, just the defrost vents. Hopefully the 3rd recall will take care of this. Windsheild fluid does not come out when pushing the bar unless you jiggle it and push really hard.

Overall, the van has been reliable. Nothing major has gone bad. I do know firsthand that they are very safe in serious accidents.

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I had another 93 Villager before this that had the exact same problems.

accurate steering, interior holds up well and is support. Seating/Cargo is very flexable.

Cargo is tight when using all the seats. Sheet metal bends when you look at it wrong, don't your elbow on it ! Roof rack is weak.

(pre 1997 Model) - Very good long distance runner. Drives lake a Mid size car, that may be good or bad.

~ power
~ interior room
~ looks (for a '93 model)
~ low interior noise (for an 8 year old car)
~ huge tires
~ light rear sliding door

~ fuel comsumption
~ creak in rear quarters of the car
~ tail-gate hard to close
~ little air coming out of front vents

This car has been driven quite hard for almost 8 years now with 2 severe accidents to the rear of the car, and it still performs very well. The 3.0L V6 still provides ample power and is quiet unless you push it hard. the interior is roomy, and the second row buckets are great. and the control center in the second row is a nice feature. the interior seems to be of nice quality although some molds didn't exactly fit right. the suspension offers an almost car-like ride that isn't harsh even when riding on bumps. the controls in the center console are a bit of a stretch to operate but is easy to work and buttons are large and legible. the digital dashboard is also clear and easily understood. and the rear sliding door is light and easy to open/close.

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'93 Caravan-box on wheels.... or otherwise, a sh*t-box
'93 Previa-revolutionary looks, toyota reliability, but only a 5 cylinder engine
'93 Aerostar-another sh*t-box, even more so than the Caravan
'93 Safari-another sh*t-box (What's with domestic brands with sh*t-boxes), even more so than the Aerostar.
'93 Quest-identical to the Villager, but a bit more expensive

Styling has held up for 8 years. The ride is smooth, the independant rear window is handy. As a minivan it's great for hauling kids and taking the occasional load from Home Depot.

The Villager did not grow old gracefully. The paint is peeling, it scratches and dents easily. The seams on the driver's seat have worn and split. The interior vinyl scratches too easily, the vinyl cladding on the door lifted away from inside curves, the screws holding the glove compartment together have all stripped out. The washer fluid button requires real effort and finess to operate. The cruise control has failed (wires fatigued?) I've decided leave in the burnt out 'front style lights' in place ( $13 x 5, not! ), the front rotors warp (and stay that way for 10 minutes) after heavy braking. There is inadequate power for passing on mountain highways. There is too much wind noise. The windows fog up when driving at the coast.

Now at 125,000 miles we are currently looking at a 3rd round of replacement of the exhaust manifold studs. The fuel pump failed during our vacation, and the Mass Air sensor also failed 2 years later also while on vacation. The frustrating part was the vehicle was serviced before the vacations and nothing came up (other than the mechanic forgetting a plug or seal or something, causing the oil to run out.) At no time has the "Check Engine" light come on ... maybe the bulb is burnt out?

The rear stereo controls are just too much temptation for the kids.
The best thing I did for the van was install a Sony CD player, the improved sound was worth the dollars spent. As a bonus the rear controls were disconnected.

If Ford (and all the other manufacturers) would have the computer automatically display some sort of service diagnostic code, that would be really swell. Then problems which only show up after 1 hour on the road can be better diagnosed.

Despite its attractive styling and smooth ride ... the reoccurring and expensive major repairs, the timing of the major breakdowns, and the myriad of nuisance problems, leave me with no choice but to NOT recommend the Villager.

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86' Daytona ... this was a lemon too. At least the Daytona still looks good.

Powerful V-6 motor...gets away from tailgaters, Smooth ride, Comfortable, Extremly reliable, good front visability, somewhat roomy, great roof rack. And i like recalls....they actually fix stuff for free ;-)

Poor gas mileage, Front "style" lightbulbs are expensive and blow frequintly, engine nocks at idle(just a noise, not a problem). Paint scratches easy. Motor is weak during stoping and going on inclines (hence what the Power E-AT button is for...MORE POWER :-) )

Have owned the van for around 3 years now. Bought it with 96k miles, but it had been well taken care of (elderly couple owned it and had everything dealer serviced). A week after we purchased it, It died in our driveway. Obviously the dealership had installed a bad battery. They wanted us to pay $135 for a new battery 6 days after we had bought the van...Leave it to the Toyota dealerships....We purchased our own battery, and other car care items.

We make frequent trips back and forth form NY to SC and never have any problems with this van...Even through the mountains the engine barley even gets hot. Seats are comfortable, even the rears equpied with headrests are good enough for adults, but the 3rd seat lacks foot room. Very comfortable on 12 hours trips.

Only one problem at the 120k mile mark. Rear climate control stopped working. I found a wedsite which told me to resolder the relay contacts in the front climate control unit. Took me 5 minutes....I can handle that.

If you travel alot i suggest this minivan. If you are a single person or a couple, do us all a favorite and dont by a van. If you want to haul stuff buy a 1997 Ford Aerostar with a 4.0 V-6.

Overall the van has a strong interior, strong motor, decent amount of room, average gas mileage, extremly reliable.

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Dodge Caravan, Toyota Previa, Toyota Sienna, Chevorlet Venturer & Astro, Ford Windstar and aerostar.... Dodges have bad tranny's, Previa's try to fly like birds, venturers have the lowest relibility of all vans, Sienna's have engine sludge problem, and are too damn expensive for a vehical to be trashed by kids, Windstar was not available, but have driven, nice van. Aerostars were more of a truck than a minivan. Astro's are downright Ugly and problematic. Mercury Villegar had average rating overall, but best bang for the buck.

Ride
Sea family comfortable

Air Condintioning has a smell when starting.
defective crank shaft.Should be a recall
Middle seat non adjustable.

I was impressed at first when we bought it. It is definitely better than a voyager that we had. It rides like a car. But a year into it. The crank shaft broke at 58,000 miles, which is a manufacture defect. But it is not a recall. $1600.00 later and 3000 miles on a new motor, the pistons are making a lot of noise especially when you are excellatoring or going up hill. I wonder if the motor is really a new one or our ford dealership just replaced the crank shaft. I won't be buying another villager.

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It is better than the voyager we had. Doesn't drive like a truck like the windstars or aerostars.

none

just name it

i have had hondas all my life this is the frist ford prd i have purcases in yrs it will be the last . to many recalls nad to many problems now the check engine light came on the dealer wants 200.00 dollars for this aand others we are going on vacation in a week and i hope we make it back in one peice never will i buy another ford prd again if u are thinking about one i would not buy one

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this my frist and last ford

Comfort for driver and passengers. Easy to handle and park. Enough room to carry 8ft x 4ft building materials inside. Extremely reliable. Low maintenance cost. Body and body hardware integrity has been excellent.

Could get better mileage. I just did a 300 mile trip with the van fully loaded and got 20 mpg (maybe that's not so bad!) Takes some muscle to wrestle the removable seats in or out of the van.

The best vehicle I've owned except for my Hondas. Purchased new and have driven 128,000 miles--always got us to our destination and back home with no problems.
Had most of the little problems that others have experienced--rear wiper that wouldn't shut off, quirky cruise control has been repaired a couple of times. Every repair so far was either under warranty or fairly inexpensive. Ridiculously expensive replacement bulbs for the light bar. I've had most repairs done in independent shops, and usually got a good fix for a fraction of a dealer's rate.
Good for light hauling, very comfortable for 4 people. Less accodating, but will handle 3 more small people. Body looks nearly new, and all I do is wash it a few times a year (OK--it's always been garaged and spent it's first 7 years in the high, dry desert of Idaho and Nevada). I'm willing to spend a thousand dollars (US) a year to keep this van running safely. If this one dies, I'd look for a used one.

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Had a 1988 Carvan LS which was a total lemon. At 70,000 miles, the Caravan had so many major problems at 70,000 miles that it was not cost-effective to keep it. Traded it for the Villager, and have had no regrets.

quiet ride, flexible seating, lift-up window on tailgate, good lumbar support in drivers seat

door locks lock by themselves, most annoying. Can not seem to find out why they lock by themselves. Could be most dangerous if small child is locked in car. Especially in 90+ degree heat here in South. "check engine" light has come on a few times and required a new sensor for $250. Not happy with that.

Great ride, handles well around town, smooth on hwy. Flexible seating wonderful - we take one seat out in back so our dog has place to lie down. Plenty of room for groceries, neighborhood kids, etc. Have totally enjoyed this van except for problems below.

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first van for me. Have ridden in other vans and this is the best...except for faulty door locks that Ford Dealership can not seem to fix

Best quality is definetely the styling and looks of the body. It is one of the few vans that is nice to sit back and look at. Also, reliablity with the Nissan engine is a strong plus. Its small size makes it a pleasure to park and drive, good driving experince.

The front seats are not as supportive as I like, although you do not really tire on a long trip too bad. It is smaller then other mini-vans. The engine could use a few more horsepower, but is adequate for most drivers.

I have owned my Estate for about 18 months now and have 19000 miles of trouble free driving. I was originally looking for a Toyota or Honda, but the discount offered by the dealer was too attractive to pass up. This is really my wifes vehicle, and she loves it. I would prefer something alittle bigger, but for our family of four it works very well. We have hauled as many as 7 on trips and remained comfortable. I feel very comfortable about reliability since it has a Nissan engine. The power is adequate on the highway, but nothing more. It is a very ggod town van, but also suitable for long trips. So far it has proven to be a nice van. Mileage is average at about 18 MPG.

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The 95 Windstar I had was pure junk. I will never buy another Ford van again.