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Ford WindstarIntroduced in the mid-1990s, the front-wheel-drive Ford Windstar minivan campaigned with an emphasis on, and reputation for, safety. And in the hotly contested family minivan market of the time, that was an especially solid piece of ground to be on. As long as buyers didn't need to haul adults in back on a regular basis, the Windstar served a family's needs just fine.
I put $100 deposit on a 99 ford windstar 6 cylinder minivan with a wheelchair lift ,ot has 116,000 on it and exterior and interior are in great condition for the year . I scored it for $2500, did I do ok ??? I took it for a test drive and it drove and shifted like new . tranny fluid still looked red and motor oil wash good I even looked at the bottom of valve cover fill cap , no white or water. I could still get out of this if I want ,how are the motors and trannys ,how many miles can you get out of them,should I look for anything before I pay the balance . Or is it just possible I'll be ok because it drives good and I'll baby it .Thankyou for any help in advance.
it could still go for a while if it's well maintained, there's a guy on here that got something like 250,000 miles on it before blowing a head gasket. if you do get it, just keep an eye on the fluids, and check them often. the 3.8L engines are known for blowing head gaskets, and if you catch the early signs of water leaking into the crankcase then you can still save your engine. the transmissions aren't the best either though.
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'98 Windstar GL 3.8L, traded in 8/4/08 for an 05 Saturn Vue
i'm that guy at 249,000 miles with the blown head gasket.... Yeah, the engine is pretty rock solid, but the transmissions are known to go at around 110,000-130,000 miles. After a rebuild at a reputable shop, the van ussually has no other problems. I believe marks transmission rebuild at Aamco was about $1800... I highly recomend them. I blew my transmission at 112,000 miles, snaped the driveshaft at about 125,000miles (too much rough driving and towing) other than that the van has had no issues (Aamco repaired both of those issues). As for engines, as long as the van is newer than 1995, it should run for a long time. In fact, my engine still runs great (except it won't hold coolant), and there is only a slight valve tap.
I used to use my windstar for towing, at least once a week, usually with a payload over 1-1/4 tons, and whenever the van is not towing, I'd be peeling around corners and other crazy stuff. It's been sitting in my driveway since December 20, and I miss it a lot.
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1998 Ford Windstar GL 3.8L 253,100 miles
2005 Toyota Prius Package 6 1.5L 135,000 miles
2006 Toyota Sienna LE 3.3L 36,000 miles
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thanks alot ,I hope to get some miles out of it I just did the belt that solved the noise and I just did the fuel rail which was leaking ,the only other thing is a metel coolant line that has rotted and is leaking a little.
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99 windstar Help before its too late??? 
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