2002 Ford Windstar

When the lease on our previous minivan was running out, we decided to see what others were available. We live in New York City, so in addition to the potholes and traffic, we experience quite a range of temperatures throughout the year, requiring a reliable vehicle. Reliability is also important since our children are four years and five years old.

One of the key features that led us to the Ford Windstar is the built in video cassette player (VCP) located on the floor between the driver and front passenger seat. A small television screen flips down from the ceiling in the first row of seats.

We often take car trips and it is a more peaceful trip for mom and dad if the children can watch a favorite show -especially if the earphones are plugged in! Two sets of earphones were included and while passengers in the back seat watch a movie with earphones, the rest of the car can listen to the radio, CD player or cassette tape. The passengers, other than those in the front seat, can see the screen fairly easily from any of the rear seats. The VCP is not a recorder, but it can be easily removed from the car and used as a player with a television set, which might be good if you are vacationing and want to watch a video in a hotel room.

I feel a little crowded in the drivers seat of my Ford Windstar probably due the VCP console's location between the driver and passenger's seat. It must be there so that the driver can easily use it while driving and unfortunately this adds to the crowding in the driver's seat and there is not even really room for the box that the video came out of.

The driver can easily adjust the steering wheel, foot pedals and seat, and the seat is electronically adjustable with a button on its left side. Unfortunately, I often seem to press down on this button with my leg while leaning into the minivan to get something or place packages on the front seat while I get my children into their carseats. The crowded feeling comes from the VCP taking up all of the room between the driver and passenger seat, leaving me no room to put my handbag or other items I might need with me.

Captains chairs instead of a bench makes it a little more difficult to get to the rear seat since you have to walk between them. Not a problem for children or relatively young or in shape people, but it is not feasible for an elderly person to be expected to climb back there.

Although I do feel a little cramped in the front seat, when I need to sit in the third row of seats because we have passengers with us who cannot climb back there, I am very comfortable. The back seats can control their own heating/air conditioning, provided the driver allows them access.

Something I grew accustomed to with our last minivan was dual passenger doors, and I will never go back to having only one sliding door on a minivan. Our Ford Windstar does have two doors, but they do need to be opened manually, and not with the "magic button" my children see some of their friends have on their minivans.

Many minivans give you the option of opening the tailgate door or just opening the window. This Windstar does not. Unfortunately I did not realize how much I had grown accustomed to just opening the window and putting packages inside, especially when my children are with me. If I want to put something in the back of the van, I need to make sure that my children are far enough back so that they do not get hit with the door, yet close enough to me to avoid any cars driving in the parking lot.

One feature on this minivan that I did not know about until I was driving with my grandmother and two children in the car was that if you have your turn signal on and drive for more than 1/8 of a mile, you will hear a "dinging" sound to remind you that your signal is still on. There is an exit ramp on a highway near my house where I need to get into the right lane, then exit on the right hand side, which is almost like a fork in the road, and then I usually need to make a right turn after exiting. The first time this happened, I had the minivan less than a month and was a little paranoid that something was terribly wrong. Of course, had I read the owner's manual beforehand, I would have known that the car was not falling apart around me!

This same "dinging" noise will sound if you leave your lights on after turning off the car, as a little reminder so that your battery will not die on you.

If you have children, or even passengers to whom you want to have a conversation with while driving, there is a mirror built into the car so that the driver can see into the back seats. My husband uses this mirror all of the time, although I find it distracting. Maybe I am just more accustomed to driving with children fighting behind me!

Now that we have had our Ford Windstar for about seven months, and we have had our share of cold weather recently, the minivan is showing us that it does not like the cold and sometimes wet weather. It starts fine and does not stall, but when turning steering wheel before the car is warmed up in cold or damp weather, there is a creaking sound from what I believe to be the front of the car. The power steering fluid has been checked, and so far nobody has been able to figure out why it does this. It does not interfere with driving however.

Although our minivan is less than a year old, it was a dealer's model, so that it had 3,000 miles on it before we got it. Even so, we have not had any trouble with the vehicle and have only needed routine servicing done so far.

Overall I am satisfied with our purchase of 2002 Ford Windstar, and the children certainly are satisfied with being able to watch their favorite video tapes on long trips.