Oh man- I never got a chance to tell you guys/gals- but, when I took my truck in for the BS $450 repair last month, Ford took me home to get my other truck in the "Courtesy Van" A new Ford Freestar, I believe.

After riding in the "redesigned" minivan, it's no longer a mystery to me why Honda's Oddyssey, Toyota's Sienna and Nissan's Quest are kicking it's ****. That vehicle felt like the flimsiest, cheapest POS I have ever ridden in (And I used to have a green Pinto and an 1982 Ford Escort)

The seats felt light weight, the doors were light, the ride was, un- yeah- light, and the foot wells were not a good place to tuck a set of size 13's.

Maybe it would have felt better in the driver's seat- but, from the passenger seat- I'd have to call it ala crap.

Don't get me wrong, I like mini-vans- the Ford's never caught my eye- but I like the Chrysler Town & Country (Longf wheel base) as well as the Caravan SE, Honda, Yota and Nissan. I thought my friends Villager was a POS because it was old- but even the new ones are P's of S.

I just thought I'd share. I guess since I'm all domesticated; and may as well be nutered at this point; I figured we'd trade the truck on a Mini-van/Wagon or something... If I can;t get a good lease deal on a Oddyssey (sp) then I guess I'll keep old Blondie...

 

Minivans suck.

 

I like the chrysler town & country limited models.....dang nice for a "minivan"

 

I'm not sure if it is actually a minivan or maybe some in-between hybrid car van thing, but the Chrysler Pacifica is a really cool vehicle, and it's good looking too.

Once while in Florida doing a golf tour kind of thing, my friend and I got a Pacifica, and we were surprised how much we liked it. It was well built, rode really nicely, comfortable . . . it was just a nice car/van/station wagon /whatever it is.

Only problem . . . although not underpowered, it could have used more "umph" in my opinion.

However, rumour has it that Chrysler is going to come out with an SRT V8 version of the Pacifica . . . .

MiniVan with a 6.0L V8 with about 400 HP.

Now THAT'S a minivan!!!!

 

Imagine the Caravan SE, with AWD and a 340 HP Hemi?!?!?!

There would be a line around the dealerships...

 

Yeah I think the cross breads are better than the mini van. My Sister n law rented the new chevy van-ute and it was kinda cool. Subaru I think makes a nice ute-wagon too. If you insist on a mini-van the Dodge/chrysler ones are the only way to go. IMO

 

I drove my Mom's old Taurus into town on my parent's anniversary to pick them up some take out. As I was on the off ramp, some @ss swerved from the fast lane onto the exit ramp about 4 cars infront of me. We all hit the brakes, when THUMP! - We were rear-ended by a one-month old Pacifica who pushed us into a two-day old Lincoln LS. It was a light hit - the Lincoln didn't have a scratch, the bumper on the Taurus was cracked and the exhaust was tweaked - but the Pacifica went home on a wrecker. Not too much cosmetic damage but it was puking fluids all over the road.

That wreck stayed in my mind when I was looking for a car for my wife two months ago. I wanted a van/suv combo like the Pacifica. Ended up with a Freestyle and couldn't be happier.

 

Never say never boys! I used to be a mivan hater until we finally got one back in 2000. Got a 2000 Grand Caravan. Man I tell you with 4 kids this thing was very functional! I loved it. Our lease was up last year so we got rid of it. Going to get a new family hauler beginning of 06. For now Hoss is the family hauler and it is way packed in there. Momma wants to get a Suburban, around a 2000 model.

But I miss the van, it was agile and had power too. Never had a issue with it. I'd have another too if it were up to me, but I think she is set on the gas guzzler suburban. We'll see though. Anyways, never say never!

 

The Windstar has the highest quality ranking at JDP.

I think they really blew it with the Freestar. You can see visibly that the Freestar is smaller. The Wind could actually haul 4x8 sheets with the seats removed (and tailgate closed) Very versatile. It was also very nice inside.

I wonder if the guys at Oakville assembly are doing a half-baked job because they all expect to be laid off.

 

My wife has a 2001 Windstar SE and it is a POS. I think the word "star" is Ford's code word for "crap" (ie. Aerostar, Windstar, Freestar - you get the picture). We took it on vacation last year, it only had like 25,000 miles on it, and on the way back, 250 miles from home, the torque converter went on it. Three months out of warranty. It cost me almost $300 to rent a car to come home, and almost $500 to get the POS towed back to our dealer who eventually ended up getting part of the repair covered by Ford. It looks like a million bucks, but I feel like putting one of those "Don't laugh, it's paid for" stickers on it.

BTW, we did try to trade it in on an Odessey (our Ford dealer also sells Honda) and let me tell you to get a deal on a Honda is tough! The would not budge on sticker price ($3,000 over invoice) and would give us nothing on a trade (not that I blame them). We may try a large Honda dealer, I think they make better deals.

 

I will never drive a Mini Van....Ford is going backward with the free Star..If I had To settle I like the looks of the Pontiac Montana...Packing your Family into a mini van scare's me...rear seat's are to close to the rear fiberglass door...in the dodge Caravan...I saw one that got reended by a Camary, not nice at all...

 

Chuckles like Fire-Marshall Bill/Jim Carey
Lute-Riley Honda is one of the largest Honda dealerships in the US, and they son't budge on their prices... The Odyssey sells (sold) OVER sticker; and on anything else you'll be proud to get $500.00 off MSRP.

This is the main reason why we haven't bought a new Honda in 12 years. They are the original "No Haggle" dealership...
You can get a good deal on a Honda (Demo/Program) vehicle, but that's about it... Anything else, expect to pay MSRP.

 

I have a 2005 F-150 and a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My wife loves her Odyssey. We bought it for $1000 under MSRP. It is true that Honda does not discount their vechicles as much as Ford but they really do not have to. The Odyssey is light years ahead of the Freestar (Windstar) van. My sister-in-law had one and she paid only $3k less for hers than we paid for my wife's Odyssey EX and there was no comparison in ride, handling, fit & finish, etc. The Honda was better in every category. It just does not seem like Ford even tries to compete in this category. I used to drive the Odyssey a lot on the weekends because it was easier with the kids then my old '98 F-150 SuperCab and I did not mind driving it at all. The engine has plenty of power and it is a very comfortable ride on the highway. The Odyssey has a 3.5L V6 with 255 HP and the Freestar has a 4.2L V6 with 201 HP. What is Ford thinking? The Honda was the first to have the fold-away 3rd row. I remember when the Freestar came out and their ads showed the same thing for the Freestar (only 4 years after Honda already had it in their van). Ford acted like it was some new great invention.

I love Ford trucks and Mustangs but I will never own a van or any other car of theirs.

 

every automaker does this.

This very forum gets all pissy when Toyota or Honda do the same thing.

 

I won't try to change anyone's perception of the Windstar/Freestar, just put some facts out there for balance.
There are five different trim levels (S,SE,SEL,Sport,Limited).
They range from $23K to $33K
$10K is a lot of swing when you consider that Engine and drivetrain aren't players like the trucks. Just about the whole $10K is interior 'extras' or 'decontenting' however you look at it.

So, one ride in an 'S' model could very well leave the impression of a cheap POS.

We bought our 1995 Windstar Limited, new 10 years ago.
Driven daily, no issues.
Runs like brand new with 138,000 miles.
It has been my wife's primary vehicle, we also use it for trips to Canada/Florida etc, very comfortable on a trip.

She wants to buy new next year, I'd like to keep it until it dies or at least gets sick.