The Unlikely Rockstar

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It might seem like the very opposite of what would be considered rock and roll, but the humble Toyota Previa of the nineties has credentials. Thirty years ago if you were a band, either local or sometimes international, touring NZ or Australia you were likely to do it in a rented Previa, or Tarago as it was known across the ditch. Before the Previa you probably hit the road in a Hiace with uncomfortable bench seats and no stereo or AC. They’re still pretty good today.

The first generation Previa has a mid-mounted 2.4L engine driving the rear wheels. It’s comfy, roomy and very capable. It’s also very reliable. It was quite a shift in the market that at the time was served mostly by vans converted to minibuses. These vans with seats did the job but they were hardly luxury. However, the 90s saw the rise of the people mover with their comfortable seats, and plenty of them, car like ride and handling and a few comfort features that meant everyone inside travelled in relative comfort. And then came the SUV that largely wiped out the people mover and put bands back into vans with bench seats.

If you were in a band all those years ago you grew up touring in old vans, often with no back seats, heater or stereo. But in the 90s you knew you had made it when management booked you a Previa from Avis. Touring became so much more comfortable. However, bands being bands, the Previa and its occupants was often subjected to interesting forms of abuse. If you were touring with The Exponents with a fleet of Previas, for example, you were likely to be ambushed in the centre of a town by a bunch of bored musicians hurling eggs at your Previa. Or an artfully placed raw fish placed in the engine bay located under the front seats. If it was a summer tour the heat made the eggs very difficult to clean off and the fish would fill the interior with an unbearable stench.

This NZ new Previa has unusually low kilometres for one of these and only 3 owners. Maybe one of those owners was Avis? Have a sniff.

These old buses still make sense today if you need to move people in relative comfort. But sadly the people mover is out of fashion. This old Previa still has plenty to give and the price per seat is likely to be very low. More details here.