embedded in the floating world
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nmazca.blog embedded in the floating world |
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before Ramadan when I first saw one.  I was on my way to the Garden Centre, I think. As I passed along the line of Sri Lankan barbershops on Al Mansoura Street, I took note of a nice, super-shiny Previa parked in front of one of the larger "saloons." And then I realized it was so shiny because it was brand new. I gaped. I gawked. And then I bent under and craned my head around this vehicle, hoping that no one thought that I was about to make off with his ride. Oh, and what a fine ride it is. The Previa was the last car that I owned, and likely the only (gas-powered) car I would ever choose to drive again. Well, there's always the '69 GTO, but let's not get into that. I took possession of my father's '93 Previa after his death. That was in January 1999. Almost as soon as I had the keys (and figured out how to open the gas tank), I drove it from Dayton OH to Memphis to Gallup NM, outflanking the second front of a massive snowstorm that had blanketed Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. That was the first of several cross-country trips in the Previa that year, with destinations and surprise appearances (often laden with fireworks) in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California. Christened by various associates as The Robotech Van, The Space Van, The Astro Van*, The Federation Shuttle, The Rolling Zodiac** and The Punk Rock Minivan***, I rolled up about 50,000 miles by the time I arrived in Seattle in September 2002... and that includes the period of time between March and December 2001 when I chose not to drive, having sworn off the ills and costs of the highway life. In fact the day before I intended to stop driving -- the 2001 spring equinox -- I got into an accident on East Broad in Columbus OH. This was the second accident in a little over a year, the first being a 540-degree spin-and-flip on an icy stretch of I-70 near Springfield OH. Rear axle was shorn, left rear tire came off... yet Progressive didn't total it (I was all ready to buy a Tacoma pickup). Of course, other people thought this was a curious trend, and a class-action suit was brought against that insurer in 2002. But anyhow... I sold the van to a guy in Bellevue a month after I arrived. It was interesting, how easily and painlessly I let the vehicle go. I knew I didn't need it, what with the quality of the transit system in Seattle. I also wanted to cut down on personal costs and avoid the knotted, nutty Seatown traffic. And so time passed. I often noted with fondness a Previa's passing-by. Aside from its uncommon styling and interior design, it really was (and is) a fine vehicle to drive. As a Columbus, OH, lube tech once told me, Toyota engineered the Previa so well that they ended up pricing the vehicle out of its intended market. So, despite its superb look and construction, lagging sales brought an end to the Previa line in 1998. But it seems that the legend endured outside of the States. And so this is how I walked up on a 2005 Previa -- with its fluted and faceted trim, prismatic headlights, and all the same amenities. I've seen a version similar to the one pictured above being driven around my neighborhood. I saw a navy blue model on C Ring Road this afternoon. I've been cool on the idea of driving again... but I ain't made outta stone. A test-drive seems in order. And that might be all I'll do, because it seems that the new-style Previa is only available in Asian and European markets. And Mr. Damon came out this way in order to get to Africa, not to buy a van. Even if it's the best van ever built.  * A moniker I never cared for, because of the Chevy model. ** I plotted the stars of the zodiac on the exterior in 1999. *** I painted the whole outer surface primer black in Oct. 2000. Oh.Hell.No.   I had no idea people customized them... Robotech Resurrection |
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