[AT] OT vehicle question?

[Alan Riley]

Can't help you much here, farmer.  I've never owned a minivan
but I did drive them at work for a number of years before retiring.

The first one was a 1986 Dodge Caravan.  It was an absolute
piece of junk.  Had it belonged to me, I couldn't have afforded
to keep it on the road.  It was designed and built by Murphy
himself.

The second was a 1992 Dodge Caravan.  It actually turned out
to be a very troublefree vehicle and drove nice as well.

The last was a 1996 Ford Aerostar.  It was the best of the three.
It was larger and more comfortable to drive.  The only problem
I had was with the door locks sticking occasionally  -  graphite
helped but they still stuck sometimes.  The Aerostar did have
a tendancy to sway more in a crosswind than the smaller vans.
Also, the one I used had the 3.0 L engine - it was adequate but
if you want to tow even a small trailer, the optional 4.0L would
be a better choice.

One of the other guys drove an Astro of mid-90's vintage - he
didn't have any problem with it that I can recall.

Alan




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Indiana Robinson" <robinson at svs.net>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 2:12 PM
Subject: [AT] OT vehicle question?


> Well, I do look at old tractors out of the windows.  Might even haul a
> garden tractor or transport Diana to Portland...  :-)
> Diana and I have been spending a lot of time out on the road this year
> for combined business and pleasure. We have been driving my old Lincoln
> since hers has a running problem (#$%& sensors and crap) that I have not
> been able to track down and don't have a lot of time to spend on it.
> Somebody else will get that job, I have too much else to do that is more
> fun to work on. My old Lincoln doesn't win gas milage prizes often.
> We are looking at low priced wear-out mini vans to buy one of to run on
> the road until they drop and then replace it with another. The WUV is just
> too big and getting pretty tired (lots of rust) too. One big criteria is
> fuel milage (surprise) and room for the hauling I am doing. Some sections
> of pipe about 5 1/2' long rules out many small SUV type vehicles and
> sometimes I am hauling these units two at a time. Only about 200 to 250
> pounds each but a little bulky. A little riding comfort doesn't hurt
> either. My own personal preference is the GM Astro or Safari but they seem
> to  stay up in price around here. At the moment we have a chance to buy
> either a Chevy Lumina or a Ford Aerostar for about $750. We have also seen
> some Dodge mini vans priced low.
> I'm looking to pick some brains that have experience with these mini
> vans. I know next to nothing about the Chevy Lumina except that if I buy
> one Diana will insist on corner post sticking up so she can see where the
> front corners are.   :-)
>
>
>
> --
> "farmer"
>
> I try to take one day at a time but sometimes several days attack
> me at once.   :-)
>
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
>
>
>
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