Nice stylish minivan

I bought a 2004 Freestar SES as an extra vehicle new at the end of the 2005 model year. It never sold at the dealer and I got a great deal on it. I already have a Lincoln Towncar and a VW Turbo Beetle so the van was meant for hauling and commuting.
I put 27,000 miles on the van in one year, mostly highway driving. It accelerates fine and has a very smooth ride, comparable to my Towncar.
Overall the van has been great, everything works, etc. but two things I have issue with. One is gas mileage. One should not expect great things with a heavy minivan but this thing gets less mileage than my V8 Towncar. Overall average 19.5 mpg. That is disguised somewhat by the 26 gallon tank. You think you're doing okay until you pull into the gas station and have to shell out $60 or more to fill it up.
The other negative is the brakes. The brakes have never left me comfortable with their stopping power, expecially on the mountain roads I travel daily. On downhills they groan and don't "bite" like the Beetle's do. And, until the van warms up they squeal, which I find irritating. I've brought the van into Ford about this and all they could do was de-glaze the pads to try to cut down the squealing. No help really. Come to think of it, the Towncar doesn't stop all that well either. Maybe it's a Ford thing.
Would I recommend the Freestar? Yes. But I'd say also look at other manufacturers and compare.