I'm thinking of purchasing 1999 Windstar LX.

[debramac]

Hi everyone! I've just stumbled across your forum as I searched the net for Windstar information. I've found a 1999 Windstar LX with 56,000 miles on it. Interior is perfect, doors are not automatic sliders, seems to have plenty of "zip" on the highway. The dealer wants $7,900 for it (less a $500 trade-in on my clunker). I plan to have my mechanic take a look at it before I purchase it, but would welcome ANY input from you fine folks! Thanks for taking the time to respond!

[ModMech]

It depends on your area, but when we bought our '98 TWO years ago, with similar mileage, we paid $9800 for it. so $7900 seems quite high as used vehicles have taken 40%-50% value hit since then.

[debramac]

Originally Posted by ModMech

It depends on your area, but when we bought our '98 TWO years ago, with similar mileage, we paid $9800 for it. so $7900 seems quite high as used vehicles have taken 40%-50% value hit since then.

Thanks so much for your input. I was worried about that. Have you been satisfied with your vehicle's performance? I've done some reading in the Consumer Reports and they say that the overall reliability is low, but I think actual owners might be a better source of info. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

[rodeo02]

$7900 sounds about right for a dealer price on a 1999. You'd probably be able to knock it close to $7000 w/out a trade in- I'm sure you know how that goes . I paid $11K for my 2001 LX w/ 34K miles back in February '04. You have to figure a basic brand new freestar, or even a left over 2003 windstar would run about $20K even with the rebates & incentives applied. All the domestic minivans are about the same as far as reliabilty . Atleast the windstar is the largest, safest & looks pretty good- for a minivan !.

[littlejoe3180]

I own a 1999 Windstar, and I wouldn't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I may not have a "normal" experience with mine, but I have had nothing but problems with it. The following have been replaced on mine: The steering rack & power steering unit($800), water pump($200), alternator($180 rebuilt) and now the transmission has gone out. Not to mention the little things that have malfunctioned that I haven't fixed: The back windshield wiper, the back right vent window won't open, the front heater blows cold air, the drivers side door power lock doesn't work, the spare tire holder won't crank up...I get mad just listing them all, and I sure I have forgotten a few!!! We bought ours in April 2000 with 25,000 miles on it for $13,600

[ModMech]

I can say that we have been EXTREMELY happy with our van. I REQUIRED the 3.0L engine however, because I am unwilling to gamble on the 3.8Ls headgasket lifespan (so far, the '98 and newer ones seem ok).

I changed ALL the fluids the weekend we got it (PS, ATF, Coolant, Oil) and gave it a good "once over", everything was just fine. Since then, I've done the P/S and ATF once more, installed a set of tires, one tie rod end (freak), and rear brakes. It now has about 90,000 miles on it, and it pretty much runs as new. Oh, I did a tune-up too, at about 85,000 miles.

I would add that as a mechanic, lubing the door locks (keeps the door adjar lights off), checking the hoses and belts, and keeping all the electrical (battery) connections clean pays BIG dividends, as we have not had any electrical "gremlins" as some do. These are all things neither the dealer, or Joe's Lube shop will do.

[debramac]

Originally Posted by littlejoe3180

I own a 1999 Windstar, and I wouldn't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I may not have a "normal" experience with mine, but I have had nothing but problems with it. The following have been replaced on mine: The steering rack & power steering unit($800), water pump($200), alternator($180 rebuilt) and now the transmission has gone out. Not to mention the little things that have malfunctioned that I haven't fixed: The back windshield wiper, the back right vent window won't open, the front heater blows cold air, the drivers side door power lock doesn't work, the spare tire holder won't crank up...I get mad just listing them all, and I sure I have forgotten a few!!! We bought ours in 2001 with 25,000 miles on it for $13,600

Thanks so much for your reply! I gotta say......your luck (or lack thereof!) is pretty standard. I've had lots of folks say pretty much the same thing as you. I'm sorry for your woes, but sincerely appreciate the fact that you have helped me steer clear of the same path. Best wishes!

[SRamsey625]

Originally Posted by debramac

Thanks so much for your reply! I gotta say......your luck (or lack thereof!) is pretty standard. I've had lots of folks say pretty much the same thing as you. I'm sorry for your woes, but sincerely appreciate the fact that you have helped me steer clear of the same path. Best wishes!

Debra:
We bought our 99 in feb of 2000 with 18K miles on it. We had to have our rack and steering replaced as well ($1000) and the transmission (warranty) and a recall complied with (blower moter). We also had the TSB (tech service bulletin) taken care of that involved the new baffle in the valve cover. The old one caused oil to get into the pvc system and therefore causing a lean code and severe pinging. I will admit I was somewhat frustrated but now that all this has been taken care of, it has been a very good van for us and trouble free for almost 2 years now.
I would definately try to get them down on the price and make sure that the standard windstar woes that I just mentioned have been taken care of. You can get vin # and if any ford dealer has done the repairs, they can tell you. Your mechanic may be able to do some research as well. If these items have been done on the van, I think you'll end up with a pretty good one. If not, its a crap shoot.

[2tru]

I own a 1998 Windstar, and I wouldn't recommend this vehicle to anyone. I have had nothing but problems with it. The following have given me problems: The rack & pinnion unit broke and needed to be replaced, the back wiper quit working, the driver's side rear vent window wouldn't work, the rear hatch door sensors quit working, the heater would only blow cold air (sometiimes the back, sometimes the front, sometimes both). Currently, it is sitting on ramps, as we prepare to replace the alternator. My father tried to warn me not to buy a Ford, but I just thought he'd had a bad experience, and that was a long time ago. You were wise to come to a forum like this to get advise...Be wiser than me, and take it!!! Don't waste your money on this vehicle, or you'll be wasting a lot more on the repairs to keep it running...

[2tru]

Still thinking of buying a Windstar???

Read the thread "Windstar from hell..." from Carmotion posted 5/9/04...

[Andra]

I agree !!! Don't buy it! unless you're rich and have alternate vehicles to drive while it is in the shop.

[DRW1000]

I have a 99 that is one of the best vehicles I ever owned. Be prepared to look after the vehicle and do the routing maintenance including all fluids.

I think if you ask wehther the ones that are unhappy have done these maintenance items the advice would be more accurate.

[littlejoe3180]

DRW1000,

I have had the transmission fluid and filter changed every 20k. I don't think that is why the pump shaft breaks on these. The transmission guy showed me the one out of my transmission and the one out of the OTHER Windstar in his shop and they broke in two different spots!!! I'm not sure how routine maintenance could account for a steering rack and power steering pump failure. Just because you got lucky with yours, doesn't mean that this van doesn't have some serious issues!

[DRW1000]

I am not suggesting anything specific but human nature suggests that people do not disclose the entire story unless asked specific questions. I am certain there are some serious issues but I just want to ensure the samples are telling the whole story. These are statistics and statistics can be manipulated (inlcuding leaving out important details) to prove and disprove anything.

For example I could simply use your situation and mine and exclude everyone else Windstar and conclude that there is a 50% chance of having a serious problem with a Windstar. I doubt this is accurate though.

I could also state that just because you and others on this forum have had serious troubles does not accurately indicate the overall success of these vehicles. I suggest that the most memebers only visiti this forum when they have problems and the trouble free Windstar owners are not on this forum. Again I question the sample size.

I am only suggesting that one has to consider the samples when asking opinions such as these.

I sympathize with your situation but I am curious as to why you would change your fluid every 20K. That seems to be somewhat excessively frequent. I don't know why the pump shaft breaks on a transmission but I am certain that fluid that has broken down can cause undue stresses on any part of the transmission (not that 20K should break down fluid). There could be countless other reasons too. Towing large loads, excessive acceleration, incorrect fluid.....

[littlejoe3180]

When we bought our van, I was advised by a friend in the car business that Windstars had "weak transimissions". It had 23k on it so I had the transmission serviced 1st thing. At 45k, it developed problems with the steering and transmission. The dealership replaced the steering rack and pump, replaced a speed sensor in the tranny and changed the fluid & filter. The tranny started acting up again at 58k and my wife had the tranny serviced again hoping it would help it(and not realizing it had been done just 13k ago). This of course, didn't do much good. We took it back to the dealer at 68k(we had an extended warranty till 70k), and they replaced another speed sensor in the tranny and performed a drain and fill. This lasted exactly 29k when the transmission pump shaft broke (@ 97k). (Average between ATF = 24,250 so I did stretch it a little...However, not once has it made it to the recommend change of 30k). This resulted in a $1500.00 rebuild (including another speed sensor). It has never towed anything, and we live in North Texas where it is pretty flat. Speaking to my wife driving habits...shrug.
Sorry if I got a little terse in my initial reply, but you WERE implying that a lack of maintenance could be the reason for MY problems...or at the least I wasn't being honest in my retelling of my problems & I can assure you that is not the case. And as you can see the dealership has worked on it SEVERAL times (which of course doesn't always mean much). As to people who have problems being the majority of the posts...that could very well be...I happened upon this forum because I am looking to replace my Windstar (because I am convinced it is a piece of crap) and on a whim I typed it in to see if My experience was unusual. It seems it isn't...BTW...My Father has had GREAT luck with EVERY Ford he has ever owned...I have only owned one that was any account....again....shrug.