The fact that Chrysler sells a lot of mini vans is not a real indication of how good they are, but rather an indication of how effective their marketing is. The Chrysler vans look fantastic and they ride very well. My sister had one, my co-worker had two, two of my buddies in my rocketry club have each had one and all had transmission trouble that caused them to go through two or more rebuilds and/or replacements long before 80,000 miles. This just can't be a coincidence. In my sister's case, she had the top of the line Plymouth model and between the radiator failing twice, and the tranny going out twice, the van just killed her financially. She replaced it with a Honda a year ago and so far, has had no problems at all. Even the service department is better. So I don't know what to tell you really except beware. The Aerostar is defunct, that is reason enough to stay away. Buy a Chrysler at your own risk.
BTW, I really do know how to spell transmission...really! Geez, late nights and early mornings take their toll on my brain.