Seeing or talking about a particular automobile can trigger an unusual, yet commonly experienced phenomenon. Recognizing one will suddenly reveal others. A day after running into a first-gen MK1 Ford Fiesta, there was another sighting near a local wash-o-mat. Take mental and visual note of one Pinto rolling down the road, and more will appear almost immediately. This effect will continue for at least 72 hours. Some of us might be ancient enough to remember playing a sore-arm Volkswagen Beetle-based variant of this see-and-recognize game called Punch Buggy. Recent banter of all-wheel drive supercharged mid-engine vans while motoring about in a Plymouth triggered an early morning cognizance of one Toyota Previa. This sighting led to appearances of more than twenty Previas over the course of a Sunday drive. The Previa shown here was number 17, one of three four seen in the one short hour the Clunkbuckets took time out for a delicious late afternoon lunch at the Chubby Burgers in Fremont, California. As we really have been trying to come up with a name for this automotive phenomenon, it shall henceforth be known around here as The Previa Effect.
Related: Origins of Jam Car
The Previa Effect
On June - 2 - 2009
14 Responses
There is actually a term for this kind of thing; it’s called the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
It seems like I’ve heard of this somewhere before…
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
For some reason these rival Astro Vans as the family-hauler-of-choice in working class northeast LA.
I’d love to run one in LeMons, but strip it all the way down to the frame and put a junked boat shell on upside down for a body. Mid-engined fiberglass bodied racer FTW!
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I hope there are no Previas in my future occurences of the Previa Effect.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 4:19 pm
My parents had a Previa when I was in High School. I started DJ’ing that year, and the Previa was a very capable hauler. They only had the 4 banger, but it worked well. I kinda think a S/C model would be a fun toy to have now that I have two little ones of my own.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
LOL. “Eggs” for breakfast today.
I thought it was nice to see the old school, mid-engined Toyota minivan evolve into something as sleek and aerodynamic as the Previa. Perhaps it had always been called the Previa in Japan? In any case, I’ve grown tired of cookie cutter FWD vehicles and a unique people hauler like the Previa, done up nicely would be a real head turner on the streets.
Consider the one pictured in these links! From his Cardomain, it looks like this is the result of the following investments. (I don’t consider stereo systems, under car lighting, or poseur gauges investments.)
- JDM head-, corner- and tail lights.
- The only body kit I’ve ever seen that was decent (probably because you don’t notice it).
- Upsized wheels.
If I were going to drive a minivan, this is what it would be like.
http://www.toyotanation.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/9475
http://www.toyotanation.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/9477/cat/742
Posted on June 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 am
Ah, the Previa…a product of the days when Toyota still knew how to have a good time.
Posted on June 3rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm
A lot o’ people don’t realize what’s really going on. They view life as a bunch o’ unconnected incidents ‘n things. They don’t realize that there’s this, like, lattice o’ coincidence that lays on top o’ everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you’re thinkin’ about a Toyota Previa. Suddenly someone’ll see a Previa, or plate, or shrimp, or plate o’ shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin’ for one, either. It’s all part of a cosmic unconciousness.
Posted on June 4th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I wish this effect would happen with ’69 Chevelles or ’70 442′s. My friends father had one, no two of those Previas. One caught fire and burned to the ground, he was happy as hell about it and gladly sold the other.
Posted on June 4th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
@ JayP: Repo Man reference FTMFW!!!
Posted on June 5th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
@Mad_Science: That’s pretty similar to my goal for the Previa, except that I’m thinking I’ll just convertible- or Camino-ise it.
Posted on June 12th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
What you are witnessing is the Sheeple effect…
I’m not smart enough to pick my own car,
I just buy what everybody else does.
Posted on June 13th, 2009 at 5:52 am
JayP, did you do a lot of acid back in the hippie days?
Posted on June 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Previas, here in San Francisco, are truly synonymous with bad Chinese drivers – I always drive extra careful in the presence of one.
Posted on January 7th, 2010 at 7:19 pm