Shame on you Ford

Shame, shame, shame!!!  Next time you hear "Built Ford Tough" you might hear me hysterically laughing somewhere.  I have discovered something that I have always somewhat suspected: Ford vans are not a superior product.  Don't get me wrong, our van has been in many ways a blessing: hauling kids for our jobs as children's worker/youth pastor, hauling equipment for our photography,  or just convenient when we overpack for trips.  I am always quick to encourage my friends that are treading the switch to minivans that they aren't really that bad to drive.  However, I had always heard that when vans go bad, they go really bad; they bleed your bank account out like a slaughtered pig hanging on a hook.  I've always understood that I had to keep this in mind and sell my van before such a time would befall me; which is why I put my van up this spring, hoping to get my money out of it before it took it out of me.  Recently my van began such a decent; it all started with something called the "Transmission torque converter"  This part was a recalled part from Ford and proved to be defective in my own vehicle; Ford agreed to fix it for free and I thought this was great.  However, when in the Ford dealership all sorts of problems arose, like the power-steering rack.  The power-steering rack was no surprise as I have had continous problems with the power-steering since my first winter owning the van, so when the dealership wanted to fix it I thought it was about time I do so.  Figuring that I escaped a major bill with the other problem, I could choke down the cost and get it fixed; ideally leaving me with a like-new van that will run for years.  However,  once everything was back together the transmission no longer shifted smoothly and now Ford wanted to take everything apart and fix the problem; it will only cost $1000 to take it apart and check.  $1000!!! Are you kidding me?!?  These dealerships have no real concept of money; they think everyone should drive new vehicles and upgrade their vehicles every-year, so the idea of dropping $1000 just to check a problem with no guarantees of fixing the problem doesn't seem unreasonable.  If you are someone who has spent the past year as a full-time student or just any regular person, $1000 diagnosis check is ridiculous; so I ceased such a procedure and picked up my van paying for the repairs up to date.  To make things worse my van only seems to lock with the remote, something new which the dealership is not taking responsibility for and blamed it on the guys that towed it to Moose Jaw.  Basically, my hope now is that the van will at least get through the summer while we need two vehicles and then change to a different vehicle. 
I am not shocked by the decline of my van; it is inevitable.  It is frustrating to hear a company boast about how great their product is, but not stand behind their defective piece of crap, and seemingly gouge their customers by running up a bill.  So if you are looking to make a vehicle purchase soon, you should in my opinion not buy a Ford.