When I was a kid: I thought these were the coolest minivans

"The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123" (mattp123) 08/05/2013 at 11:36 • Filed to: None

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The way the hood and windshield flowed together. Those front driver/passenger windows that swept up towards the back. The way the taillights blended in with the vast expanse of glass. It seemed so futuristic at the time.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:37

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And they still are, at least if you take context in consideration.

simpleisbest > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:38

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I thought the same thing. Hey, we were kids at the time. We need to cut ourselves some slack.

For Sweden > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:38

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If you had posted a picture of a Previa, you would be right.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:41

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Firewrx234 > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:44

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Explain to me why these had the same name??? I was a kid when these were new and I thought it was the dumbest thing to name a van and a car the same thing.

William Byrd > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:46

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Agreed, I thought it looked like a space ship. Same goes for the Previa. Although sort of looked like a Tylenol.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > Firewrx234 08/05/2013 at 11:52

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I think they shared a platform, drivetrain and suspension components and sort of had the same face. Camry Solara, Corolla Matrix, And the Genesis coupe are big offenders. But more confusingly, the next generation 2 door Lumina became a Monte Carlo, and there were also simultaneous full size and mid size Blazers despite having nothing in common.

Firewrx234 > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 11:55

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As a child I was so confused because they were selling a van and a car as a Lumina. It just seemed dumb at the time and honestly look back on it now, it's not much better. They could've at least renamed one of them even though they had the same parts. (I.E. Corolla, Camry, etc.)

Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 12:01

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They're the Cadillac of minivans.

Giles007 > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 12:04

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deekster_caddy > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 12:14

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I loved these things! My parents had a Pontiac TranSport version with the awesome 3800. I borrowed it for a drive from Boston to Minneapolis and threw a mattress in the back. It was all kinds of awesome. The huge dashboard let me open up the big rand mcnalley and leave it up there as a map "HUD" with the image floating on the windshield - I just had to manually change the page when I went into a new state. I had my route highlighted so I was easy to find... Awesome van, great road tripper!

ScootScoot > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 12:23

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Did they really get THAT hot inside? Remember that weird purple tint on the windshield? What's up with that.

505 - morphine not found > For Sweden 08/05/2013 at 12:26

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I liked them both. I would have loved if my father would have gotten either, but he has stuck to normal cars, sedans, hatchbacks and wagons then and every since. I would say, in hindsight, that he made the right choice, but i have to add, that this wasn't for any really jalop reasons, only maybe because it was easier and cheaper. Also he once tried to move on to proper vans, only for his brand new VW T4 to be stolen.

But i digress. My point: i love the design of both of them.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > ScootScoot 08/05/2013 at 12:31

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This guy found a much more cost effective solution. Spotted near Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.

Autolegend86 > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 12:40

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When i was a kid in Russia, i saw one in 1992-1993. I thought it was the StarShip Enterprise parked next to a Lada Riva.

lonestranger > Firewrx234 08/05/2013 at 12:51

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mattp's description is pretty good. Plus, Chevy was trying to make Lumina a sort-of sub-brand or product line within Chevrolet. I'll add that the van was called Lumina APV, for " A ll P urpose V ehicle".

Firewrx234 > lonestranger 08/05/2013 at 12:57

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Ahhhh...I learned something today. I feel enlightened. Also, that didn't go so well.

Widget_Master > The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 08/05/2013 at 14:09

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I was thinking of writing something on these just recently! They should be featured on Jalopnik in the "Future Classics" category haha.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Quattro-luvr, Powered by Datsun & Stinger 08/05/2013 at 14:12

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Ha! Beat me to it - just watched Get Shorty the other night.

trynthink > Giles007 08/05/2013 at 14:43

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No no, that was the design inspiration for the Ford Aerostar, not the U-body minivans.