The Ford Aerostar was unloved for many years, and it wasn’t a runaway success when new. Minivans were evolving, moving into a more sophisticated lane that went beyond simply being a people-mover. Customers wanted things like headphone jacks, captain’s chairs, removable seats, and the like. The Aerostar was quickly becoming a bit of a dinosaur, which is why it was eventually retired and reborn as the Windstar. However, the expansive interior, free of drop-down screens and center consoles, makes for an excellent camper conversion, as the seller of this van has done with his 1993 model listed here on craigslist for $3,900.
With the second and third row seats removed, this Aerostar becomes a wide-open space. The ample glass provides a ton of natural daylighting and with a mattress across the rear, the center of the van can be used for storage. The current movement to adopt a lifestyle known as overlanding has driven many nomads to spend way too much on a highly-equipped camper van, usually before deciding that said lifestyle isn’t for them. The Aerostar makes a ton of sense if you want to dip a toe into exploring life on the road without spending a ton of money. Plus, the seller is including the removed seats if you want to return the Aerostar back to a standard arrangement.
The 4.0L V6 engine was not over-powered, but I believe it hovered around 150 horsepower. Sure, in the day it was fine, but it might feel a touch strained today. The 4-speed automatic channeled power to the rear wheels, and it was a very affordable setup. While all-wheel drive was optional, I can understand why an Aerostar in New Mexico wouldn’t have this set-up. It also means rust is non-issue, which would be a deal-breaker on a van that isn’t worth much on the collector market. The seller reports that the Aerostar comes with full service records from a Ford specialist, which is a surprise on a vehicle that’s not traditionally loved.
The paint presents well, and the two-tone gray over red is sharp. The listing indicates the rear A/C still works and that recent maintenance includes a new ignition switch and battery. The Aerostar as a camper seems like a home run to me, especially considering it’s still pretty maneuverable in tight urban spaces. Other upgrades that make it ideally suited for the camping lifestyle include a propane tank with burner, and it looks like there’s room for additional improvements if you want to take the camper conversion even further. Would you use an Aerostar for overlanding? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find.
Nice. Like the set up. Window shades a must. That Cologne 4.0 V6 served me well in a Ranger. 175k miles and ran like new. Too bad the truck rusted away around it.
Perfect truck and place for someone in the rust belt. Fly out, tour the south west, drive it home and sell it quick being rust free.
Be alot more comfortable than we were camping under a leer cap out there 2 years ago. Fantastic area
I like it! wouldn’t take too many nights at a B&B to pay for it!
This is pretty creepy, I actually have considered buying this van. It was shown on FB Marketplace,( for a lot more) and I was going to look at it. It’s about 5 hours from me, take a week in the Jeep, but the only minivan I really like, is the Aerostar. I had great luck with the Chrysler minivans, but the Aerostar was ,engine, transmission, driveshaft, rear drive axle,,, a truck like God intended. I thought maybe instead of kvetching here at my kitchen table, maybe get a camper van and see the sights,,,EEEHHHNNNN, I’ve driven enough, and with everything so expensive, this van will require what used to be called “nickel and dime”. Today it’s more like dollars, lots of them and I just refuse to play into that fiasco anymore, it’s bad enough buying $14 wiper blades for the Jeep,, hey, you want to pad Ron Capps pockets at NAPA, by all means go ahead, I think instead, I’m buying a new recliner,,, consarnit.
I loved the Aerostars! We had 2 back to back. The first was this color and was an XLT with all wheel drive. Drove it to 150k. Next was white XLT all wheel drive and was in the stable until the last of four daughters left the house. The 4 V6 was a good engine and would great descent gas mileage. Never had a major problem with either.
We had an all wheel drive Aerostar, that things was a tank. It would go through 10″ of snow like nothing. Sold it with 300k on the clock and it was still going fine.
Add says it also comes with the rear seats so you can ditch the rest of the stuff and muscle the seats back in and you will have a decent van over 120k miles i would be concerned about the transmission but if you are ok with replacing or rebuilding it this will last another100k miles and finding ones that aren’t on deaths door gets harder over the years you might even make a profit in a few years if you sell.
Being a Ford service manager. I had a couple for demos. Not my choice, but made a good back up for when the courtesy van was out for awhile. The transmission issues were .mostly handled by 1989. I had a 2wd one in a snow storm. I needed to get across traffic to get into a parking lot that had a very steep drive. So speed was needed to make the ramp. Traffic stopped for me to make the run. (All pickup trucks) and I accelerated and just as I was about to climb the incline. A bozo in a front wheel drive Mazda came screaming down the shoulder from behind the line of trucks. I barely even had time to lift my foot off the throttle when I Tboned him. The Mazda went spinning up the hill with severe damage and the Areostar received a scratch bumper. Luckily for me there were several witnesses that all said that Mazda driver was insane for going that fast and for trying to pass everyone on the shoulder. He got the ticket. The only issues we had with the ugly old Aerostsrs was the early transmission issues.
We parked our 93 XLT in the Art Institute of Chicago parking garage and got burgled. The sliding second row windows were easy to open from the outside and the burglars knew it. It made easy access.
On another note my teenage son was clocked by the state trooper at 100mph!