1995 Ford Windstar GL review from North America
"The Windstar is a big hunk of junk"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The front sway bars gave out at about 120,000 miles.
The transmission blew at about 130,000 miles.
The engine finally went out about 3,000 miles later at 133,000 miles.
General comments?
The Ford Windstar with the 3.8L engine has to be one of the worst cars any manufacturer has ever made or marketed. When the front sway bars went out, I thought "Ok, this is just normal wear and tear", but all of my other vehicles I have owned have never had this problem.
My wife took our Windstar on a trip from the Washington, D.C. area to Port Charlotte, Florida in May of 2002. On her way back through Atlanta, the transmission gave out which cost me $ 1700.00 to be rebuilt.
Three months later the engine finally went. From the sound it was making and the performance and blowing out white smoke, I figured that the head gasket went out.
Instead of getting some money out of it for a trade-in, I had to donate it.
We bought a Chevy Tracker, basically a Suzuki Vitara, to replace it and aside from the only average performance, it has been more reliable and better than all of the Ford Windstars put together in my town.
I will never buy a Ford van again.
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| This is absolutely the worst car (a Ford) I ever own |
|
| Wish it had good reliability |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1995 |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8L Gas Automatic |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 2 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 81000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 133000 miles |
| Previous car | Subaru Legacy |
| Date of Entry | 12th October, 2004 |