You Meet The Nicest People At The World’s Largest Previa Cruise

Ever since I was a wee 7th grader and saw a burgundy Toyota Previa on a trip to Arizona, I have been obsessed with the egg-shaped minivan. Of course, I’ve loved and desired plenty of other cars in my lifetime since then, but somehow the Previa always rose to the top of the list. I even had one on a giant poster on my college dorm room wall. Its combination of reliable engineering, ridiculous powertrain options – you could have a mid-engined AWD supercharged minivan, or perhaps RWD N/A manual is more your style – and unmistakably eggy design captured my car nerd heart in a way that no other vehicle has.

In June 2024, after 12 years of yearning, I finally had adult money and the PERFECT listing came up on Facebook Marketplace. A white 1992 Previa DX, rear-wheel drive and MANUAL, which was my biggest requirement to purchase one. Not only was the 5-speed an exceedingly rare Previa spec, but the condition of the van was practically unheard of in my home base of New England. She was a California car, only driven over to Massachusetts in 2019 to be the family’s Cape Cod runabout, and winterized and parked each year so she never saw a salty road. At only 201,000 miles and $1200, I scooped her up immediately. [Ed note: Video below! – Pete]

I named her “Ola,” which means “egg” in Latvian (her previous owners’ nationality) and coincidentally also was my late grandmother’s name. Two seasons of driving and 26,000 more miles later, and she’s remained an astoundingly reliable partner. My process of fixing her up and modifying her has been documented in a YouTube series that has now amassed over 86,000 total views, as well as hundreds of thousands on TikTok and Instagram.

There’s nothing I love more about the car community than being able to share my enthusiasm about unique cars with like-minded individuals, or teaching people something new if they’ve never heard of a Previa before. This is why, when I heard that there was a Previa-specific cruise happening on the complete opposite side of the country, I was more than a little bit jealous of the attendees. Over a dozen Previas all together, cruising through the absolutely stunning mountains of Washington!

It’s unlikely anything of that scale could happen near me, simply due to the rarity of Previas on this coast. Our winters are so tough, and our roads so salted, that most cars from the 90s and early 00s succumbed long ago to rotted frames and body panel holes, Previas being no exception. Two years of the cruise came and went, and I was thrilled (and green with envy) whenever photos were posted online. I’d known the event’s host, Samay, for many years just through Previa-related social media – he’s known as the “Previa Legend” for good reason. Samay runs a Previa-specific shop near Seattle and has been fixing the vans for over 20 years, acquiring many for himself in the process. If there’s a job to be done on a Previa, either Samay can do it, or it’s not possible. It made perfect sense to him to create an event like this.

An Irresistible Offer And A Rocky Start

One day in October 2025, after I shared one of Samay’s posts to my Instagram story from his second cruise, he responded and said: “Next year you come and join. I’ll give you and your boyfriend a van to drive to Leavenworth.” This was quite possibly one of the most generous things anyone’s ever offered to me, and I’d never even met the man! But Previa diehards are very unique people, so it’s no surprise they’d be uniquely kind too. I’m not one to turn down a once-in-a-lifetime offer like that. The biggest barrier was airfare, coming in at around $400+ for a two-person round trip. I waited several months as prices fluctuated, determined to get a good rate with my Google price notifications turned on. Finally, when two tickets came up in the 300s, I made the purchase. And 4 months later, departure day finally arrived. Samay said our Previa would be waiting for us at his shop whenever we got there.

At first I feared we may not even get to Washington at all – the flight was delayed several times and was now scheduled for departure at 11:30 pm instead of 7:30 pm. We also saw another Boston-to-Seattle flight that had been scheduled for 10 am and still hadn’t departed at 9 pm, and we worried they’d both be canceled. Nope, we eventually boarded the plane at 11:30 pm, but we’d now arrive around 3 am Seattle time. Oh well … anything for Previas.

Thankfully, my boyfriend Jacob is the most supportive and kind boyfriend in the world, as I am and always have been a wreck of anxiety when flying. Sometimes I can push through it and relax, but I conveniently forgot at home my special anxiety meds that were prescribed just for this day, so I ended up making good use of one of the airsickness bags. We both tried our best to get some rest on the plane, and after a safe landing, we unsuccessfully searched for any hotels still booking.

Deciding it would make more sense to just head to our waiting loaner Previa and sleep there, Jacob and I got a $90 Uber ride to Samay’s shop in Lynnwood and arrived around 4 am. There she was: a beautiful burgundy red Previa All-Trac waiting for us so we could finally climb inside and get some sleep. This was also no ordinary van he’d left for us; it was Samay’s first Previa ever, purchased used in 2001 and now showing 741,000 miles on the odometer. Thankfully, Samay also had kindly removed the rear two seat rows and put in an air mattress for us, since the plan was to camp in the Previas the following night after the cruise. Jacob and I laid some spare jackets over ourselves as a makeshift blanket and got some final hours of rest before the big day.

Almost Two Cartons’ Worth Of Eggs

The next morning (well, that same morning, I suppose) we headed out around 7 since it was too chilly to sleep comfortably anymore with our lack of blanket preparation. Amusingly, since I’d never driven an automatic Previa before this day, I went for the phantom clutch pedal and nonexistent floor shifter a few times before getting into the groove of using the brake and automatic column shifter. We hit an IHOP down the street from the meetup spot and then finally made our way over to the meetup a little after 9 am. We rounded a corner down to a large grocery store parking lot, and then… PREVIAS! A whole parking row full of them! So many, in fact, that there wasn’t another space for ours and we had to go in a different row! I had never seen more than three Previas at once, and now here in front of me I counted thirteen! When we parked and began walking around to look at them, still more continued to roll in. I was filled with childlike glee. It felt like all of my years of immense Previa enthusiasm were meant to culminate at this moment.

I counted three manual Previas too, including the particularly elusive manual All-Trac model! Samay’s custom-built extended Previa camper was there, which is pretty legendary in the community, so it was crazy to finally see that in person. Aside from a plexiglass window that had to be adhered with black Gorilla tape because it was a custom size, you truly wouldn’t be able to tell that it was made out of two Previas spliced together by hand.

At this first meetup point, I was also able to reunite with a friend I knew through my Miata club back home, who had since moved out to Washington in his HiAce, as well as meet a friend from social media that I knew through a shared enthusiasm for the GM EV-1. I exchanged gifts with both of them, and it was a great collision of worlds!

Finally, Samay called us all together for a group meeting. He thanked everyone for coming out – 21 Previas and one HiAce was the final count – and highlighted people who’d come particularly far for the event: myself, although I kind of cheated by flying, and another Previa enthusiast who’d driven all the way from Indiana! There were also attendees from California and Utah, no small feat considering how large the states are on that side of the country. Samay gifted me a Previa Legend hoodie, with a graphic of the stretch Previa on it (NOT AI, which I love to see in this day and age!) and another attendee handed out gorgeously made leather keychains with a burnt-in graphic of a Previa and the event name. Then, finally, we all set off for the cruise!

A Convoy of Eggs in the Pacific Northwest

The cruise route took us east from Monroe, WA, on Route 2, where we passed through the absolutely unreal-looking Cascade Mountains. The weather started off a bit misty and raw, but it couldn’t slow down the Previas, and if anything it added a bit of dramatic flair to the towering mountain peaks.

After a failed stop at a small coffee shop where we were yelled at through a bullhorn for having too many cars to park on the side of Route 2, we made our way right to our next destination, Steven’s Pass ski resort. There was a large open parking area with plenty of space for almost two dozen eggs, so we stopped to grab coffees and snacks at the ski lodge café.

After chatting a bit more and getting a group egg photo, the pack set off once again for our final destination of Leavenworth, WA, a Bavarian-inspired tourist town that was hopping with activity due to the Oktoberfest celebrations happening. I saw many visitors in lederhosen and other festive attire, and several folks waved at the passing convoy of vans. The weather cleared, and it became sunny and warm for our finale.

A Pre-Evening Previa Picnic

The group stopped at a grocery store parking lot to get food and beverages then made its way over to a pleasant, wide-open parking lot at the base of a ski hill. There, the vans all parked in one long row, a truly unbelievable sight for any Previa enthusiast! Samay rolled out the awning on his stretch Previa and tables were set out. Everyone shared the food, drinks, and snacks they’d brought.

A father named Omar made cheese quesadillas for everyone, his daughter Isabella excitedly distributed them, and Samay shared beef jerky strips made by his wife, who he said would have loved to attend but was sick at the time. We all had ample time to stop, relax, and chat. I spoke with several van owners with unique builds: Chance, who owned three Previas and had brought his woody-converted lifted 5-speed (and his adorable dogs) Jason and Heather, who have been living full time with their cat in a Previa they bought for $900 and converted with bed, toilet, and kitchen amenities; Randy, who devised his own custom-built projector headlight setup that he was sharing with the rest of us; and many others, all from different walks of life with their own reasons why the Previa was special to them.

By now it was closing in on 4 pm and the majority of attendees began to hit the road. Although Jacob and I had originally planned to camp out with some of the others, we’d had second thoughts about this since we didn’t bring warm camping gear to save luggage space, and already had one chilly night’s sleep. But when I said that we were thinking of heading out, not one but three people ran over to us brandishing fuzzy blankets, urging us to stay. Jacob and I shared a knowing look, realizing it would be silly to miss out on such an incredible opportunity after coming all the way here. We accepted the lent blankets and a pillow from Samay, and headed out with the remaining 5 Previas to a convenience store for some last snacks and drinks, and then made our way to a nearby campsite, Rainy Creek Campground. This drive was quite possibly the most stunning part of the day, taking us through valleys and along rivers next to trees tinged gold by the setting sun. The mountains seemed to climb even higher into the sky than before.

New Friendships Around The Fire

At the campground, we managed to squeeze the six vans into one site and got to work building a roaring fire. There, we shared more food and got to know each other on a deeper level. I learned about how Samay moved to the U.S. from Cambodia at age 13 and built his own life here after college, meeting a wife he loves dearly and discovering his passion for working on the egg-shaped minivans. I could tell that his kindhearted nature extended far beyond lending a van to Jacob and me for the weekend.

We also met Nick, the owner of a white manual All-Trac van, who manages the RV shop that Samay now has space at, and has a passion for photography. Then there was Roger, who was from LA but had recently been living out of his Previa to travel around the country and enjoyed bicycling and surfing at his destinations. His next plan after the Previa cruise was to head all the way down to Mexico. Dylan seemed to be the youngest driver there aside from Jacob and me, and he had traveled to the event from Indiana because he had four weeks of PTO and decided to take it all at the same time. He’d only gotten his Previa a few months beforehand and had already done quite a bit of work to get it where it was. Omar and his 4th-grade daughter Isabella were in their built-for-camping All-Trac on all-terrain tires with a graphic of mountains on the side. It was easy to see Omar’s love for his daughter, and heartwarming that she appeared just as enthusiastic to be here as the rest of us. She gladly went around the fire offering up food and snacks that her dad had prepared in a small pan.

Samay brought out an acoustic guitar complete with a Previa sticker, and we sang some songs, shared stories and drank some adult beverages around the crackling fire. There was an immediate camaraderie, and it felt like a true testament to how the car world can so easily connect people from different walks of life.

Thanks to the generously lent blankets and a sleeping bag procured at a gas station, Jacob and I actually stayed at a comfortable temperature that night in the red Previa, which we decided needed a name. We settled on “Cherry,” both because of her color and the fact that, at 740,000+ miles, she still looked and drove “cherry” (good condition, nice-looking). That morning we had eggs scrambled with bear jerky and cheese, and sweet potatoes baked over the fire. Samay even brought a box of donuts for us all!

A Short Trip But A Lifelong Memory

Finally, sadly, the time had come for Jacob and me to head out or risk being late for our flight home. Around 10 am, we gave big hugs to everyone and promised we’d be back next year – it was a unanimous decision that flying out here was more than worth it for the experience we had. We set off back through the mountains on the gorgeously sunny morning to return Cherry to her home in Lynnwood. The rest of the group went off to go mushroom picking with Samay, something I hope to be able to do next year!

Our flight back to MA was less eventful because I’m far less anxious when I know I’m going home, but I decided that crippling anxiety be damned, there’s no way I’m missing next year’s cruise. Despite being a longtime car enthusiast, the Previa event was like no other I’d experienced. Not one hood was popped (even though the engine isn’t under there) because nobody was there to compare performance numbers or power mods. If you love the Toyota Previa enough to attend a cruise for them, chances are you’re a bit of an oddball – an independent thinker who cares more about what a car can do for you than the clout or status associated with it.

Everyone there was more than willing to chat, lend a hand, and share food and beverage with the rest of the attendees, and all of us shared the excitement of seeing so many Previas in one place. I’m particularly grateful, of course, to have met Samay and been able to drive his trusty first Previa on such an adventure. That was an act of kindness that I will always cherish. One day, perhaps Ola will make the 2,500-mile journey and join the rest of the Previas there. After all, she has plenty of miles to go to catch up to 700,000!