I've had my Windstar LX for about 2 years now (I bought it used) and for the money we paid, it has been a good vehicle. Here are my thoughts.

Exterior:

The style outside is clean and actually quite good looking for the 2000 vans. There are no build quality issues to speak of.

Interior:

Inside, while the design is bland, and the materials are not the best quality, the functionality is good. Everything is in easy reach. Actually, I prefer this to the Honda Odyssey's interior where the design is horrible and the plastics are very cheap IMO. I'm actually quite surprised that nothing is rattling after 5 years of use. There is one squeak when it is raining, but that's nothing to be concerned about. The instrument panel is easy to read, and all of the controls are back lit at night.

Seats:

The seats themselves are comfortable, with a durable fabric that seems to never stain. The front seats are the most comfortable (obviously) providing good leg room and foot room. There is no transmission hump in the passenger foot fell like some of the other vehicles I've sat in. Again in the second row, the seats are comfortable but the is little leg room for tall passengers. If you have kids that are under 5'5 they should be fine. Foot room is good though. The 3'rd row has not much room with the 2'nd row all the way back. I'm 5'7 and my knees scrape the hard plastic on the back of the buckets. Little kids would be quite content with the accommodations. The bench provides good thigh support. Overall, while this is a big van, why is there so little leg room.

Removal of Seats:

I thought that this deserved a category of it's own. It is back breaking to remove the 3'rd row. Not only is it heavy, its difficult to remove. You remove one latch and go for another, the latch you just did relatches. It's just annoying. The buckets are not that heavy, but the removal process is difficult.

Driving:

Some people have complained that the ride is wallowy and truck like, but I find it extremely comfortable. It absorbs best at high speeds, but is still good at low speeds. The driving position is high and commanding Handling is ok as it is a van, but nothing to excite me. While the ride is soothing, the noise levels don't comply with that. Wind, road, and engine noise all make their way into the cabin (maybe that's how Ford got the name WINDstar). Around town there isn't much wind noise, but a fair bit of road noise. At highway speeds, you have to rather loud to speak to the person next to you, but at least the road noise is canceled out. The engine is quite peppy and has good grunt off the line but is a little vibratety. The transmission, for the most part, shifts smoothly. If I park on a grade however, the tranny clunks from P to R, but it's fine otherwise. Overall a good driving van.

Reliability:

Overall, it's been reliable, with only changing the spark plugs to treat a misfire. Nothing other than that.

Summary:

The best thing about this van is it's comfortable ride and it's seats. But the resale value is awful, as is it's noise levels. Overall a good choice if you are on a budget, but if you can afford more, go with another choice


Amount Paid (US$): 9000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: LX