A Real downer to our vacation

[tink&cinderella]

We're going to Disney on March 30, 2005 and are driving down for the first time.

We decided to take our 1999 Windstar in for service this past Wednesday - imagine the shock when we were told that the van needed $3500.00 in repairs.

Here was the dilemma. We still owe $7000.00 on the van. It's only worth 3000.00. If we fix it then we are basically putting more money back into the van then it is actually still worth. If we buy a new vehicle - hmmm tempting, but we'd have to pay 5000.00 down and have 772.00 monthly lease payments for 4-5 years. The van would be paid off by next fall (2006) and we'd be finished with it.

We ended up deciding to fix the darn thing. I figure that we have almost replaced the entire thing and the only thing that could happen now is that the sides will fall off.LOL . Hope we made the right decision.

What a way to start a 3 1/2 week vacation!

Tink&Cinderella

 

[hockey mom]

That is a hard hit right before your vacation. On the bright side you now know everything is in good working condition for your drive down.

Have fun with the mouse

 

[Rebecca P.]

I sympathize. I also own a Windstar that has cost me a fortune to repair. I just have it to the point that all major repairs are done and I might as well drive it because it isn't worth anything. We call it the Crapstar, my first lemon and am now on a first name basis with the lady at the Ford Executive Office in Oakville.

I suggest you rent a van with unlimited mileage and drive to Florida. It's what I would do. I'd never take my Windstar further than a 3 hour drive from home!

You may be surprised how hard your Ford Dealership will work to get you out of the Windstar and into something else reasonably. They didn't change the name of the van for nothing.....they want them gone!

I don't know how many kms are on your van but I would suggest you hit a bookstore and buy a copy of the lemonaide guide by Phil Edmonstone. I did and then e-mailed him and told him my dilemma. You will be amazed what you can do and better yet get Ford to do! The funniest thing is the picture in his book of a Windstar painted on the window telling what a lemon the van is!

Good luck

 

[seashoreCM]

Were all the repairs necessary, or were they minor things like torn upholstery or missing exterior trim. Even worn out shocks can be lived with if you don't go too fast on rough roads or around curves.

Any rental cars with unlimited mileage and unlimited geographical area including U.S. available?

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

My sister had a Windstar, that was someting like ten years ago. Over the years it had numerous mechanical problems and when the transmission went, my sister got rid of the car and bought another. The air conditioning died quite early but it was my sister's fault, she had several dogs and they rode in the car a lot. The AC repairman's first comment was, "clogged with animal hair", which was true.

 

[FayeW]

If we buy a new vehicle - hmmm tempting, but we'd have to pay 5000.00 down and have 772.00 monthly lease payments for 4-5 years. The van would be paid off by next fall (2006) and we'd be finished with it.

God Gravy, what on earth were you pricing, a Hummer!?!?!? Those prices are outrageous. Almost every dealer has the Zero Down, Zero Interest for 48 Or 60 months on new vehicles. We just bought a 2004 Chev Trailblazer LS EXT (3 row seating) for literally HALF the original sticker price, because it had been used for 1 model year and had 40K on it. I would think that Windstar would still be worth $6-$7K on a private sale.

 

[Rebecca P.]

The repairs to a Windstar are never anything inexpensive. It was a transmission at 78,000 kms, tie-rods, manifold, alternator, engine work. I'm not including the back-up sensor or the locks that no longer work or the turn signal that won't go off or all the body work Ford paid for or the recalls they also covered. The normal maintenance like brakes and tires aren't included. I'm talking about terrible quality on a vehicle that is babied, stored inside and serviced every 5,000 kms by Ford! They didn't change the name to Freestar for nothing and even then they can't sell them!

 

[tink&cinderella]

Wow I didn't realize that Windstars were such lemons!!

We have 190,000 km on it and other then brakes and new tires and I believe the computer chip went once this by far is the most expensive repair we've ever had.

Let's see they did the following to the Van: ,

Maintenancy Service #4 - Oil change, repl. oil filter, inspectionl, tire rotation, transmission service, spark plugs etc, they replaced the outer tie rods, break work, two new front tires, alignment, replaced the torque converter, replaced rear wheel cylinders, replaced front brakde pads and front rotors, coolant flush, machined rear brake drums - Labour was more then the cost of the parts.

When we looked at a new vehicle we priced both the new Freestar - which is neither mine nor my husbands favourite and the Free style. We went to the car show and hubby loves the Free style - The reason the quote was so expensive was because they would only give us 3000.000 for the van and the owing 4000.00 were now built into the price of the new car. I understand that ford does not give many incentives on the new Free style but do in fact on the Freestar. The salesperson told us that the Free star is not doing as well as they had expected it to and now Ford has an overstock., I find that the inside looks too boxy and feels more like a utility van. I just don't love it. If my payments had been 500.00 a months I might have been tempted. but even with the Free Star that was not the case.

Otherwise our Windstar had been a good vehicle for us - hubby always takes it in for Service when due etc.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I too need to get my other second car replaced when it comes off its lease in the fall. I drive a Hyundai Elantra - but would not take this to Disney as it does not hold all our stuff and hubby doesn't like to drive it.

Tink&Cinderella

 

[minmate]

I too am the "un-proud" owner of a Windstar. Haven't liked it from almost day one... just thought I'd chime in on this one as it has caused me a LOT of frustration. To keep it short, I'll just say that our Service Team Manager knows me by name and if he ever hears a call from me, he knows it's gonna be a bad day! lol.... nuff said.

 

[talicskai]

We're going to Disney on March 30, 2005 and are driving down for the first time.

We decided to take our 1999 Windstar in for service this past Wednesday - imagine the shock when we were told that the van needed $3500.00 in repairs.

Here was the dilemma. We still owe $7000.00 on the van. It's only worth 3000.00. If we fix it then we are basically putting more money back into the van then it is actually still worth. If we buy a new vehicle - hmmm tempting, but we'd have to pay 5000.00 down and have 772.00 monthly lease payments for 4-5 years. The van would be paid off by next fall (2006) and we'd be finished with it.

We ended up deciding to fix the darn thing. I figure that we have almost replaced the entire thing and the only thing that could happen now is that the sides will fall off.LOL . Hope we made the right decision.

What a way to start a 3 1/2 week vacation!

Tink&Cinderella

My hubby is a mechanic and his comment to people when they are considering buying a new vehicle instead of fixing a relatively new (6 years old and under) is: $3500 is about 5-6 months worth of payments on a brand new vehicle and you would still have to pay for it for 3.5 or 4.5 more years!
considering what the quote was for a new vehicle for you I would definitely say you made a wise choice.

Have an awesome vacation and now you can rest assured that everything has been checked out on your van. By-the-way my husband will only buy Pontiacs.............Teresa

We drive a 99 Montana and 2000 Grand Prix and both have been awesome to us!

 

[Rebecca P.]

If I got 190,000 km out of my Windstar and had to spend the money you did to repair it. I would be doing the happy dance!!! All my repairs happened between 78,000 and 87,000 km.

I also love he Freesyle but refuse to spend that kind of money on a Ford again. They depreciate much too quickly and since there are no used ones yet on the market. I will probably go with something else.

I love the comment about the service department knowing your voice....there is silence on the phone when I call for service. I know they are expecting me to say...it's being towed in again!

I hope everything works out and the Windstar gets you to mickey and home again safely.

Rebecca

 

[alohamom]

I think you made the right choice! My hubby is a mechanic too and we read this together. His first thoughts were to get a second opinion at another dealership. One tech can look at a car and tell you you need a minor repair, another can look at your car and convince you that if certain services etc are not performed they will lead to other problems etc.These repairs may not need to be done, but would be better for your car if they were. Bottom line is that some techs are con men, some are honest but most know how to play the system. It is whether they choose to or not that differentiates them.(sad but very very true!)Of course if it is something major like a transmission (hubby says this is a common problem with Windstars)then there is no getting around it. I dont know how we would get by if we had to pay to repair our cars or made huge lease payments, it would be a big chunk of our travelling $$$ that is for sure!Also, one of the above posters is right, a 1999 Windstar sold privately is worth a hell of a lot more than 3 grand!!!Check out the Auto Trader on line, its free to look and it will give you an idea of what your van is worth. Have a great trip and don't worry!

 

[FayeW]

Talicskai makes a valid point, about the repairs being equivalent to 5-6 mths of payments on a new vehicle, I hadn't thought of it that way. I was still in shock from the idea of $772 lease payment after $5K down on a Ford product.

I have to ask though, after all the problems you've had with the Windstar, why would you even consider another Ford???? I would think "once bitten, twice shy"!

When the time comes to replace your vehicle(s), consider this: Wait until the next years' models have hit the dealers, you will get a much better deal on the current model still on the lot because they will want to clear them out. Also consider a used, one year old model like we did. The rental companies only rent out current models, as soon as the next model is released, the previous year model starts coming back in off lease. Do your research NOW as to the make and model of the vehicle you want. Know your prices and your bottom line before you go shopping, and shop early, as in, went you don't actually NEED a new vehicle. We bought our truck in January. We didn't actually NEED to replace our vehicle until May, when camping season starts ( we had bought a new camper in the summer, our previous vehicle was pulling in, but we felt the engine was struggling, so we wanted to get something more powerful before we damaged our engine). We researched the vehicles we wanted, spent a lot of time on Autotrader checking prices and options, and then test drove a couple. We were not "under the gun" by any means which meant we could take our time and make the best deal. I knew what I was comfortable paying, and when the salesman tried to push us I said "We don't need this vehicle, as a matter of fact, we don't need ANY vehicle." He said what do you want to make a deal on this truck. I said "Sharpen your pencil". Everything he offered, I said, "sounds great, but no thanks". I ended up paying $3000 less than asking price. Also, look for a vehicle that has been on the lot for awhile, they will be much more inclined to make a deal. They lost money on our truck just to move it.

Sorry to be preachy, these are just the techniques we used to pay $23988. for a 2004 vehicle with an original sticker price of $45400. ( Original sticker was in the pouch with the manual). Good luck on your trip!

 

[tink&cinderella]

And for more bad news!!!

Since our lovely Windstar came home, it is now squiking at the front - my gut sais it's a belt - one likely that was just replaced so this a.m. Saturday at 8:30 a.m. hubby is back at Ford!.. There better be no charge for this as the squeek was not there prior to the repair this past Wednesday.

Since the only reason we have a van is because my MIL is in a wheelchair and they do not drive and we accompany them almost everywhere, they have decided to pay half of our 3500.00 repair. A huge help since our trip is costing nearly 10.000 plus the repair of the van at this point.

We saved all year for this trip and were trying to save money by driving down. We have one week at POFQ, one week on the Disney Western cruise and a week split between the Gulf Coast and Atlanta visiting friends.

I have decided that I am not going to let the van and it's costly repairs ruin my fun or my vacation. It is after all only money!! Nothing that can't be paid off in the next several months.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and comments - I guess we've been lucky with the Windstar and I am feeling better about my decision to keep the van and repair it.

Take Care

Tink&Cinderella

 

[Canadave]

Another Windstar owner here (1996 with 240000 kms)...we have taken great care of it and always replaced parts at the time they were needed. I will say though that there has been a LOT of repairs (tie rods and an ABS sensor are the worst). I will admit that the ride is the best of all the vans I've been in. We are shopping for a new van and I hate the Freestar (boxy interior and the back seat is not adjustable). We're seriously looking at the Grand Caravan (very good friend is a Dodge salesman). We had rented a Caravan on our last trip to WDW (as suggested earlier, renting a van to travel, I think, is a better investment than using your own vehicle. As long as you shop around. I got a great deal from Avis in Oshawa).
Just my 2 cents.

ps. Anyone with thoughts on the Grand Caravan, probably a 2004?

 

[CharlesTD]

We are paying 413 a month on a Montanna 4 year lease 0 down and 1.9% interest. There is a promotion on the new Montanna SV6 359 a month on a 4 year lease with 1000 down and a free Dell computer with lcd monitor and printer. Not to sure if this is at all the dealerships or just the place we went to to get ours.

 

[Rebecca P.]

FayeW just out of curiosity what 2004 vehicle did you end up buying?

 

[PhotobearSam]

Wow...a 10,000 dollar trip...

I never would be able to spend that on a trip...Imagine what it could have been if you had flown.

 

[tink&cinderella]

I know its a lot of money on a trip - the disney cruise is the most expensive part

I have AP's so got a good rate at POFQ - 109.00 per night and we always spend too much on souvenirs. I stash away my mileage money I get from work every months and have separate account just for disney. Between the hotel, passess, gas, spending, the Disney Cruise and our visit to Atlanta and hotel there and back it does add up quickly. We just don't realize we've spent that much until it is all added up - I tend to buy tickets, Disney hotel and disney cruise way up front so it isn't a big chunk of money up front.

I love disney because it is so far removed from what the real world is all about and I can get away from the day to day stress.

You are right though - it is an awful lot. As an aside the VAN now needs another 245.00 in repairs - we're up to 3750.00 now!!

I wonder what else could possibly go wrong between now and Tuesday/Wed. night.

Tink& Cinderella

 

[Debbie]

Our first "mini-van" was the Ford Aerostar. When the vehicle hit black ice and was totalled, we went with the Grand Caravan . . . for the integrated car seats (4 kids by then). We've had 2 Grand Caravans-'92 and '01. We quite like it. We got the 0% financing on the last one, so that was a plus.

I saw a magazine ad for the new van by Saturn, and it looks good, too-you know, the unbiased comparisons in the ad. I think that I will have a look/drive both it and the Toyota, though, when it is time to trade. Yeah, like I'd have the $$$$$ for the Sienna.

 

[FayeW]

FayeW just out of curiosity what 2004 vehicle did you end up buying?

We bought a Chev Trailblazer LS EXT ( extended version with the 3rd row seat). It has a 4.2 litre, 6 cylinder, 275 hp engine, and more features than you can imagine ( things we would never have paid for had they not already been on the vehicle). We usually drive imports ( 3 Toyotas, 1 Nissan, 1 Suzuki) so I was aprehensive about going to a domestic product. I did ALOT of research before I bought it, and we are really, really happy with it. I can't wait to go on the first camping trip and see how well it pulls the trailer. (The Pathfinder had a 3.5 litre, 175 hp engine, so I'm sure it will be a huge difference).