Among the more unusual cars from the 1990s is the Toyota Previa. A minivan by any other name, the Previa has quickly become adored by fans of the Radwood movement, or really anything built from the late 80s to the early 2000s. Cars like the Previa are loved because of their individual style and unique approach to engineering, seemingly from a bygone era not likely to return as we move further and further into ah heavily commoditized automotive universe. This Previa has the added intrigue of being a supercharged model, and is said to be a show winner. Find it here on craigslist for $13,300.
When you say the words “mid-engined” and “supercharged”, an egg-shaped minivan is not what immediately comes to mind. The Previa was exactly that, however, demonstrating that the van design has endless configurations and usefulness that still goes well beyond that of a modern SUV. Because of its wonky engine layout and somewhat goofy styling, the Previa worked its way into enthusiasts’ hearts, and even more so when we all woke up and remembered that Toyota went so far as to offer a supercharged engine options. You simply don’t see these in the wild anymore, so to find one as seemingly minty as this one is rarer than spotting an exotic at a local cars and coffee event.
And because it was marketed as a minivan, the Previa was often used as a family transport pod and thoroughly trashed as a result. I can still remember a friend’s mom who bought one and seemed proud to load up half the team and their muddy cleats inside. This Previa has been spared such abuse and looks absolutely spectacular inside, with seats that show barely any use. I’m guessing the third row was never actually used. The seller reports that their Previa shows just under 89,000 miles and took top honors in a local show sponsored by Hagerty insurance. Not that trophies mean much, but how many minivans can claim such an honor?
The 2.4L inline-four is equipped with a Roots-type blower, which kicks output to a very respectable 161 horsepower and 201 lb-ft of torque. While the turbocharged Chrysler minivan of the 80s gets lots of love from the domestic crowd, the supercharged Previa is what the kids of the 90s pine for. In addition to the supercharged engine, Toyota even offered all-wheel drive, making the Previa the enthusiasts’ people pod of choice. Not many are left in any condition, but one with these specs and this level of preservation is not likely to be seen again anytime soon. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for the tip!
Maybe it was the only entry in the “Minivan” catagory.
These were interesting,as the engine was under the front
seats &,I believe,canted to the side.
No kidding, I’ve seen shows where every entry gets a trophy.
Steve R
“The Toyota Egg”, a mechanical nightmare. Take an Aerostar over this anyday.
I agree I very much like my 94 Ford Aerostar had it for 14 years now and still runs like new Eddie Bauer edition
and the air-conditioning even works, and yes, it works in the summer.
I’m not sure you could get one that was supercharged AND awd. I know they also offered these with a manual transmission but only as a 2wd NA, and I think you might only have been able to get one of the three, or none of the above if you absolutely had to have the most boring version of the most interesting minivan.
Yep this is the unicorn previa. I got the unicorn precursor to this the Toyota “Van” 4wd hi lo locking hubs 5 speed manual. Brother has this vans twin. Supercharged awd le. This was fully loaded as it wasn’t available with a manual and supercharger
Unfair to compare this to an Aerostar like someone mentioned. These blow the doors off an Aerostar in EVERY way
Blow the doors off of an Aerostar? That’s funny!
1. They’re Japanese and so that’s a big negative.
2. Their name starts with the word “toy”for a reason.
3. Most Japanese vehicles are like a spoiled baby, they have a new rattle every day.
4. That one does not have near as much cargo space inside as my Aerostar.
5. My Aerostar with rear wheel drive and 4 L engine has a higher towing capacity than that van does.
My doors are still on. They did not blow off!
That is the craziest response ever! The Japanese cars of that era, and now, are better than anything we make here. Hands down. Thank profits over quality on our side of the pond. The Japanese use the JIS, And refuse to send out an inferior product. Been that way a long time.
Let’s go off road and see what happens.
Only thing an Aerostar is good for is to donate its springs to lift a Toyota van! Hahahahaha
My wife loved these vans in the early 1990s and we bought one. It was one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned and all we did was change fluids. We drove it 10 years and 160,000 miles and the only thing that stopped the van was an old man ran it off the road. Luckily no one was hurt . We would have bought another one if they had still made it.
This is a “barnfind”? Looks more like an average used car to me.
A minivan on barn finds? Now we all know why the hobby is in trouble.
Junk.
It’s Japanese so it’s spelled KNUJ
Its a Toyota minivan not a Super car $14,900 firm down from the original $33k ask per the add they are probably going to have it a long time its worth $5k max in my opinion
We had two in succession. One lasted 225,000 miles and we gave it to our local NPR station and the other, at 200,000 miles, went to the crusher.
The kids referred to it at “The Mother Ship”. Very appropriate!
Didn’t they have refrigerator option?
When I bought that years Chrysler minivan I first brought this home for my wife to test and she hated it. It had the Mitsi 3 liter v6 that blew the doors off of this, but the second transmission was needed at 20k miles.
The Previa is an EXCELLENT vehicle that will easily go 250K-300K miles with basic service.
Unique design with the engine placement and very comfortable to travel in.
I would not consider this a $13K dream HOWEVER it is almost impossible to find a Previa in this condition at any price. The only thing better in my opinion would be if this Previa had the AWD option that was available!
One of the best barn find for sale posts I have seen recently. A unique and modern vehicle that can and will produce lots of smiles per mile!
It was junk. I was an ASE certified tech at a toyota dealership. We used to do rock, paper , scissors to decide who was forced to work on them. Pure junk
Lovely looking van. Although I have never driven a Toyota Previa, I got to ride in one as a passenger. The ride was actually comfortable.
I never appreciated these until we had one in the shop. I happened to take a shortcut under one and thought I had traversed an additional bay. I looked up and saw a Toyota 4X4 truck.. Yes, standard style Toyota Pickup ladder style frame with a horizontal radiator between the front frame rails. Living in 4X4 country I appreciated the robust build. If I was contemplating a mini van that could handle offroad duties. This is the one I would pick. Lots of ground clearance, and quality materials would make this an automatic pick for me. I have never driven one. But since it appears to be a Toyota pickup underneath, you could modify to your hearts content to perform your offload desires.
New Zealand still lots of them on the road – very reliable
Get an AWD Previa All-Trac, Lift it up and go light Overlanding if you prefer!
https://www.journeysoffroad.com/toyota-previa.html
what cracker would dare to show up at a car show and have the b***s to put this spaceship in a show.
These eggs have quite a following out west, and here in the Midwest for those who wish a solid little adventure van. I sold mine to the young man across the street 6 yrs ago. He laid it out super cool on the inside double bed, fridge, and fold out kitchen in the back. Rocket box on top, mountain bike rack, and headed for Washington state. He still uses it as his daily and for camping in the mountains.
The ad on Craigslist has been deleted.
Ok I’m here to make a few comments about this AND the Ford Aerostar comparison. Being an ex- Ford service manager when the Aerostar came out AND having a couple for my personal drivers. The only thing that they have in common is the “Mini-Van” nickname. #1 The Aerostar is a very competent people mover that came in 2wd and AWD. And ither than initial automatic transmission issues. They have been very reliable vehicles. And even with some Ranger components present it was in no way an offroad capable vehicle. And when I say off-road I mean off road as a Nevadan means off-road. (Cow trails, washes, rocks, sand pits, gravel pits, and used up mining roads. Plus altitude changes of 10,000 feet and dirt grades steep enough to need low range for miles on end. (The reason I have owned a Toyota FJ40 Landcruiser for over 40 years!) I would never expose an Aerostar to any kind of use like that. #2 I’m really not a big Toyota fan. They were superior quality vehicles up until about 1990. IMHO, their quality dropped a little and every one else’s came up quite a bit. I now feel that they are not a bad vehicle. But you are paying for the name and not really benefiting from the added cost. I also feel that Toyota (and Honda) rip people off with their parts pricing. That being said,a 4X4 Toyota truck is still an honest off-road vehicle. And there are a million different parts and accessories available to make them even better off-road vehicles. The fact that Toyota basically used one of their truck chassis to build a minivan us just a cool thing if you are looking for a competent off road mini van. Please understand that all these comments are made by an ex-Toyota parts manager, former off road racer, ex-ice racing champion ex-Ford service manager, A.S.E. certified master technician (auto and medium/HD truck) and I have been in every phase of the automotive business except on the assembly line. Parts, service, sales, dealership management and aftermarket service and repair. There is no proper way to compare the 2 vehicles.
I like your reply very much. Maybe you can answer a quick question about my Aerostar(1994-4.0L 2wh dr. Eddie Bauer. I’ve heard Aerostar had trouble with their head gasket on a 4 L engine. I noticed that my mine which is the fifth one I’ve owned, seems to have a rev limiter on it that limits the engine speed at 3000 RPM Has this been done to save head gas from blowing?
I have been away from Ford now for about 30 years. We had some cylinder head issues with the redesigned heads that they used on the (new then) Explorers. I’m not aware of 4.0 head gasket issues. I currently own 3 Ford vehicles with 4.0 engines (2 OHV and one OHC) and I regularly see 4,000 + RPM on all of them. And one sees 5,000+ at least once a week. Did you perform a vacuum test? As the engine speed is slowly increased and the vacuum reading starts dropping then you have plugged cat converter(s). Which IS not uncommon.
Thanks for the reply, but that is not the case with my Aerostar, it accelerates very heavily and just like that,as soon as it hits 3000 RPM, it levels off, just like I l took my foot off the gas it is controlled.
Thanks for the response