Date:         Sat, 4 Jun 2011 05:00:04 -0700
Reply-To:     Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: LVC Searching for a project
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <BANLkTikGSr+J9_twx1_zapFovu2wwKBjig@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

"
  Here's an idea.  Toyota Previa.   All wheel drive mid engine supercharged
little van.  They are really cheap on the west coast and I hear great things
about them from friends who have them.
   They are found (west coast) in the $800 to $3500 price range and said to
be good for around 300k miles before they need a motor...they come with a
4sp auto and an electric overdrive gear or very rare 5sp manual"

I know it's no longer Friday, but for the sake of accuracy I believe it's worth noting that the manual trans Previa was only available with the early 2WD versions and even that went away about the time the AWD and the supercharger options became available.  Could be wrong about that, though.  The factory might have snuck some out.

I vote for an '89-'90 Dodge Turbo Caravan or Plymouth Turbo Voyager (Hint if shopping: a subtle "Turbo" sticker just ahead of the front doors above the beltline and the eighth letter of the VIN is a K). About 5% of these were sold with stick shift.  Talk about hard to find;
a rare trans version coupled with a rare engine of a popular van.  I've
seen about five of 'em in person and in ads.  It's a minivan so it is invisible to the general populace and the fuzz, but it can be a performance minivan with the ability to smoke that 325i. Something of a cult vehicle (www.turbominivan.com) but we wouldn't know anything about that, would we?

Stephen