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1996 Toyota Previa, 1910 Hupmobile, "Future" of car collecting, at least in my family


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When our children were young (four girls), we toured and showed quite a bit with the whole family, mainly in the 1931 Pierce-Arrow.

 

As the kids grew (oldest now 50 years old!), we sort of did our separate things and those days were over.

 

Minimal interest now by younger members of family, with two exceptions.

 

My youngest daughter remembers riding, early in her life, in the 1910 Hupmobile.  She loves it, and It's going to go to her at some point.

 

My only son likes the old cars, though of course all of us have different definitions of "old".  He likes and will get the 1969 Cutlass convertible.

 

Meanwhile, while his driver has been a 2012 Charger, he also just acquired an AACA eligible vehicle, a 1994 Toyota Previa.  Never heard of a Previa?  Neither had I, very interesting vehicle.  Engine is laid sideways under front seats, six passenger with two rear seats which either fold to sides of body or can be laid down for a bed.  "All-Trac", meaning four-wheel drive, and supercharged.  The engines in these have a reputation for longevity.

 

The shape of it makes fans call it "The Egg".

 

Funny to think, this vehicle is 30 years old, so he could drive this on the show field at Hershey!

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Viva la difference David!  I was the only guy in HS who really wanted a TR-6 vs. The sea of muscle and wannabe muscle cars.  Parents were convinced they were too small but that's another story.. 

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Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Viva la difference David!  I was the only guy in HS who really wanted a TR-6 vs. The sea of muscle and wannabe muscle cars.  Parents were convinced they were too small but that's another story.. 

Oui, I'd say that's true! 

 

Just imagine if everyone wanted the same car, let's say an early Mustang......oh wait, everyone DOES want that, according to current pricing!

 

Yes, we're lucky that people appreciate lots of different makes, models, and body styles!

Edited by trimacar (see edit history)
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We've owned our 1997 Toyota Paseo convertible for over 15 years. It's eligible for antique plates but I just can't think of it as old or collectible. It still has its daily driver plates.

 

The car is extremely reliable and trouble-free, so we're keeping it. One of these days I'll get up the courage to take it on an AACA regional tour.

Image.jpg

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They were popular around here as well. Downside, they were expensive when new, are often quite loaded up with complicated options. A friend has one and needed to replace the engine, very awkward job.  { he bought it as a very clean, low milage project that the previous owner had ran out of oil out on the highway ] The basic parts to keep one running are quite available, but as they age lots of things become N.L.A.

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I was talking with a friend who had owned a Previa. He said they handled very well for a minivan due to the location and low center of gravity of the engine. 

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The one my son found is a one owner car in great condition, 150k miles, but these are known to go twice that.  Bought very reasonably.  I’ve not seen any others in our area.  Only issue now is a bad muffler, it’s new but loud!

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My 73 E Type is the newest thing in my garage and I don't consider it an antique in any sense. In my humble opinion there have been

very few interesting  cars built after WWII. Whats the thrill of driving a collector car that drives like your every day driver? I'll admit my

interests are skewed because I restored my first car in the early 60's before a lot of people on this forum were born. Are all the old guys gone?

Am I the last fossil? Or are we just worn out.

HF14_r277_009.JPG

crouch 002.jpg

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John, I agree,restored my first car in the mid 1960s.  I consider antique cars to be pre WWII, after that just an old car.

 

”Old cars” are still fun, and I like a lot of them, but calling this Previa an antique is silly to me, even though it meets a common definition of our time.

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David you are right, I have a car each from the first 4 decades of the 20 century , each are fun to drive in there own way, and so different from the Jag.

I'll admit were I to make a 100 mile trip, I don't own a trailer, I would take one of the newer cars(1924) instead of my 1908 Stanley, 10 years ago it would

have been the Stanley. Probably time for me to shut up and crawl back under my rock, my apologies to the post war guys if I offended.

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I am younger, but still in my later 60's. And I find cars that interest me from almost every decade . 

 But the car hobby in general is proving a struggle on my retirement income. I find the bread and butter , British sports cars from say about 1955 to the eary years of the 1970's are about all I can manage these days. A MGA , Triumph TR250 and a TVR 2500 are about all that fits my budget these days.  The Triumph and the MG have been with me since the later 1970's. The TVR was added about a decade ago to replace the one I had to sell in about 1982. 

 Still a big Brass Era fan, but costs have stopped my 1912 basket case restoration . 

 Cars like my MGA hit a sweet spot of simple , easy to work on , good parts availability , reasonable cost and great road manners.

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My 1912 Staver Chicago. See my user name and avatar. I took it on years ago seriously underestimating its needs, and overestimating my resources.  Like in so many cases these days, costs { on all fronts } keep rising and disposable income falls.

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