With few exceptions, Toyota’s current U.S. lineup plays pretty safe and gives no indication that the company once made a minivan as cool as today’s Nice Price or No Dice Previa. Let’s find out what this cool van might reasonably cost.
The seller of yesterday’s 1992 Volkswagen Passat GL claimed the car’s Harlekin paint job would put a smile on the face of anyone and everyone who laid eyes on it. Indeed, a lot of you commented that the car had that effect on you. If only its $10,000 price did as well. Sadly for that seller, fully 77 percent of you felt otherwise, giving the Passat a pass and a No Dice loss.
The most amazing thing about today’s 1995 Toyota Previa LE isn’t that it’s a mid-engine minivan. Nor is it that it offers a supercharged engine or a shape that is reminiscent of an Easter-zed Emu’s egg. No, the most amazing aspect of this particular Previa is that at present it has done over 300,000 miles and doesn’t seem to be all that much worse for wear after that extraordinary feat.
Now, to be fair, not all of this Previa’s original bits have come along for the ride. According to the ad, the 2.4 liter supercharged four-under-the-floor was replaced at 250,000 miles with a unit that had only done 125K.
That engine lays over at a 75° angle and sits under the front seats where owing to the blower, it makes 161 horsepower and 201 lb-ft of torque. Behind that is a four-speed automatic. Toyota made the Previa available with a five-speed stick, but not accompanying the supercharged engine.
The ad notes an attentive maintenance history and the recent replacement of a number of major components on the van, including the radiator and water pump. Along with that come new tires and brake rotors and everything aboard is claimed to work as it should.
What’s really remarkable is that the van looks as good as it does after so many miles and years of service. Sure, the clear coat is giving up the ghost but that’s pretty much a given. More importantly, though, the bodywork beneath appears to be rock solid, showing no signs of rust or any major damage. Even the cladding seems to be holding its own. And why can’t we get cars and trucks with gray rockers and bumpers any longer? I kind of miss that.
The interior is another marvel of fortitude with the cloth upholstery and carpet showing little evidence of wear and tear. There are three rows of seats in here, with the second row able to be folded back for impromptu limbo contests and a third row that features a clever sideways-folding design. Up in front, there’s a modern stereo with Bluetooth if that’s your thing, as well as enough storage to keep any packrat happy.
Per the seller, the van is 100% original, although that’s a claim that feels a bit specious given the replacement mill and the JVC head unit. That being said, the Previa is also claimed to work as it should, has passed its smog test, and carries a clean title. What might something like this go for these days?
In this mile-maker’s case, the asking price is $3,100. That’s a reduction from a higher amount the seller set in an older ad but seemingly didn’t get any action out of. What do you say, should this new $3,100 price see the Previa prevail? Or, is that still too much when the mileage is taken into account?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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