I love the underfloor storage in my 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan. I don’t actually use the Stow 'n Go feature, I removed the 2nd-row seats and keep them in my garage. It annoys me a bit that I can’t remove the 3rd-row seat too, because there is no cover for that underfloor cavity.
Do any other minivans have underfloor storage where I can stow stuff under the floor and still have a flat floor for loading stuff? I know some others have a folding 3rd-row seat, but that doesn’t count unless I can remove the seat and still have a flat floor with storage underneath.
I tend to buy minivans that are around 10 years old, 5-15 at the outside.
By buying used, you have benefited from the higher depreciation of Chrysler products. I don’t know of any other vans with under the floor storage but maybe you could make a plywood cover tor the rear cavity or simply cover the floor with a sheet of plywood.
Chrysler vans don’t have the reputation of Hondas or Toyotas but I have always found them the most usable and comfortable for hauling both cargo and people/
I have trouble understanding why you would remove the second row and leave the third. What do you need to store all the time ? It seems easier to use the store and go for when you need the extra space .
The holes the 2nd-row fold into have covers over them. Removing the seats still leaves me with a flat floor. If I remove the 3rd-row I am just left with a large hole in the floor that they would normally fold into, which makes loading and unloading a lot more difficult and could easily damage anything I tried to store in that hole. In this picture the right part of the 3rd-row has been folded back to fill in the hole, but the left part is still up. There is no lip or any good way I’ve figured out to put a lid over that hole. The seats fill it up and their bulk transfers the weight of anything put on top of them onto the floor of that hole. I’ve thought about having someone weld me a steel frame with a lid to fill that hole, but I’ve yet to get around to it. I was kinda hoping some other manufacturer made a minivan that came with a lid back there.
Tools. I put them under the floor and then load up equipment on top. When I get to a job site I unload the equipment and then can access my tools. Unfortunately, I’m often having to pack my tools in the front passenger seat (which I sometimes need for a passenger) or around the equipment in back, because the underfloor area is not big enough (it is only six cubic feet).
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had a passenger in the back of a minivan in the past couple decades. The 2nd and 3rd row seats are next to useless for me. They just get in the way.
Don’t know what kind of work you do but with a Sabre saw , some screws and 1/2 plywood I could make something that would drop in a be flush with the floor.
Other thought . Look for a used Ford Transit work van .
On the secondary market, they tend to cost more, have more miles, and be in worse condition (employees don’t care as much about a work vehicle). The cargo floor sits on top of the normal floor, I already have problems sometimes with tall stuff. The older ones did not have the underfloor storage (though this has changed). Carpet works better for me than a metal floor. The plastic ones would probably work, though those don’t seem to have the underfloor storage. I like having a back window I can see out of. There are probably nice cargo vans out there that would work for me, but I wouldn’t know how to find them. A full size van would be more functional, but I just prefer a minivan.
Network engineer. Regularly haul routers, switches, servers, UPSs, 19" racks (both two and four post), cable runways, wire, ladders (big ones go on top), air conditioners, non-penetrating roof mounts w/ cinder blocks, antennas, transfer switches, conduit, strut channel, etc.
The roof racks on minivans aren’t really designed with ladders in mind, but I’ve gotten fairly good with rope over the years.
I’ve thought about it, and putting carpet on top of the plywood. My biggest concerns are weight distribution, and hitting anything with my screws. Don’t want to go over a bump and have a frame just sitting in the hole punch through the bottom when it comes back down, and the pan is surrounded by suspension, exhaust, wiring harnesses, etc. I’m sure it can be done, I just haven’t got around to it.
Why not? I’ve been thinking about drilling through one of the front stow-n-go pans to bring 12v into it for an inverter. Is there a reason not to penetrate those pans?
Even with a few hundred pounds sitting on it? I’ve no idea how thick those pans are.
I’ve never thought about it for inside a van. I have floormats over some of the plastic parts now. I’ve thought about putting down a larger piece of carpet, but wasn’t sure how to secure it to the existing floor. The floormats have rubber spikes on the bottom.
Honda Odysseys have a storage area right behind the front seats, where the spare tire and jack, etc. live. It’s under 2 layers of carpet, though I guess you could cut that out.
Unless they moved it in the more recent vintages (I have an 05), the Odyssey stores the spare and the jack in the back left inside the plastic pieces. There is a regular storage area in the floor behind the front row. @Pascal1 The Odyssey’s back row seats fold into the trunk storage area so you would have a mostly smooth area in the back
