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Anyone had any experience with the 95-00 Windstar or 99-00 Odyssey?
My mom now has my 17 month old nephew (special needs) and thinks a van may be the way to go. We rented a 2010 Kia Sedona for a trip and he loved it... he loved being able to look out of the windows. His happiness at all times is obviously the utmost concern, so we have been considering getting her a van not only to make him happier, but to make it easier to get him in and out. She has a 1997 Oldsmobile that was falling apart with alot of miles, so I had very recently given her my 1988 Mercedes S-Class which is a very safe and nice car, but its not all that easy for her to get him in/out with the infant seat in the middle, but now he is old enough to have it by the door, so its not that bad. She loves the Mercedes and has actually now saying maybe its the safer choice.
Well, enough about that. We are looking for something around $3000-4000 now, because they are getting a brand new car in a few years, but not now. I have been a Toyota fan, but the "sludge" issues on the 1998-00 Sienna (which woul fall in this price range) makes it a not so good choice. The GM vans of these years had bad IIHS crash tests (Astro and Venture did horrible) and have read too many bad stories about the 96-00 Mopar vans (my aunt has one with 87K that needs a transmission now) and hear about too many having engine fires and they dont have the safety shift interlock. With that said, I know some Windstars have their issues too... probably the transmission is a weak spot... not sure about the Odyssey... being a Honda, I am sure it may rate as one of the more reliable vans of the late 1990s-early 2000s. I know they both have good crash tests and thats a major concern.
With that said, for the money, how what would be better... a lower mile 95-00 Windstar or a higher mile 99-00 Odyssey? Or some other van recommended that is safe? Or should she just keep the tank-like Mercedes? (which is a very safe car)
Thanks!
Last edited by Tennesseestorm; 03-30-2010 at 10:13 PM..
Thanks. Well, now she says she just wants to keep the Mercedes simply for the safety factor. Also we tried it and baby loves it, he can see out well.... so maybe a van later.
The Aerostar is an awful vehicle. The engine is a rough pig and it does almost nothing well. It is so bad, I would choose a Dodge over it. But an Odyssey is a far better choice.
The Mopars were way better than you heard. Sad that you listen to the myths and miss out on a great vehicle. I'd take the Windstar, but neither holds a candle to the Mopar.
The Aerostar is an awful vehicle. The engine is a rough pig and it does almost nothing well. It is so bad, I would choose a Dodge over it. But an Odyssey is a far better choice.
Either you need your eyes checked or you need to read the whole post.
I'm not that big on minivans, but the Honda Odyssy is "the minvan that car guys don't hate" - and IMHO a much much better van. I would probably choose an Odyssy over any other minivan, if I just had to have one of them.
A Chrysler fan here but a former owner of a Windstar, a 2000. This was a wife's choice vehicle and it was priced right when we got it in '04. Here's a personal experience story for what it's worth...
We had it for two months until the wife got broadsided at an intersection one day. Fellow in a full size Buick ran a red light and slammed her in the passenger sliding door at an estimated 35 to 40 mph. Sent her bouncing across two lanes into a light pole which took out the driver's side sliding door. Looking over the damage showed everything on the passenger side was crumbled, all glass broken. Driver's side was crumbled from the sliding door all the way back with broken glass on the sliding door and rear windows. Back hatch stayed shut but the glass was broken. Front end was not heavily damaged.
But, nothing came close to hitting any of the seats although they were moved a bit from the impact. She was shaken up but fine, not a scratch.
With that, I wouldn't buy one of that vintage now, just for potential age and mileage problems but this one certainly saved the day back then.
If you could find a later model Safari/Astro I would suggest looking into one. Our '99 is getting very close to the 200k mark with no failures yet. The standard RWD with optional AWD makes these very versatile vehicles.
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