Minivan floor challenges

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ganchanRV

Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2021
Messages
14
Reaction score
7
I'm looking at old-ish (2011-2017) minivans these days, and I'm pretty sure I could make one work for my particular needs. The only potential challenge is the floor. I sleep on a folding chaise lounge because of my cranky lower back, and its legs terminate in horizontal metal bars, so an even floor surface matters. But I don't want to build a flase floor because I think it would rob me of too much sitting-up headroom. This means I need to choose my minivan carefully....

Of course the Dodge/Chryslers with the Stow & Go feature offer that flattest floor with no need for modifications. But everybody seems to dump on them for reliability reasons.

The pre-hybrid Toyota Siennas has removable seats but left those bulky track trolleys in the floor. I wouldn't want to remove them myself, especially if the vehicle had some warranty left on it.

The Honda Odyssey's seats come out, leaving some odd rectangular "plates" where the seats were. Maybe not as intrusive as the Toyota hardware, but I might have trouble positioning a metal-framed cot over them for stable, flat sleeping.

Did you have to face a choice like this, minivan shoppers? And if so, what did you finally decide to do?
 
Last edited:
I'm looking at old-ish (2011-2017) minivans these days, and I'm pretty sure I could make one work for my particular needs. The only potential challenge is the floor. I sleep on a folding chaise lounge because of my cranky lower back, and its legs terminate in horizontal metal bars, so an even floor surface matters. But I don't want to build a flase floor because I think it would rob me of too much sitting-up headroom. This means I need to choose my minivan carefully....
The 2013 and 2016 Chrysler Town and Country's rated well at U.S. News:

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/chrysler/town-country/2013

That link is the 2013. It did even better in 2016.
 
We have a 2010 Grand Caravan 4.0 Ltr we bought about 3 years ago with under 70,000 miles that's been great. Only oil changes & a set of rear brakes. The seats behind the driver & passenger are pedistal seats that turn all 4 ways & have a small table between them to eat or play games. The back seat faces rearward at the touch of a button. Very handy & more screens & toys than I'll figure out or care for. We've had Dodge mini vans since they came out. Never got less than 200,000 miles & 1 over 300,000 miles before we sold them running fine & bought a newer low mileage one.
 
Do not let your brain get so hung up on items that are actually very easy to solve with a little extra labor and materials. Focus on the things you can’t solve with a little extra labor. Things such as head room, ground clearance, ventilation, overall interior space, reliability. Driver comfort and visibility while driving, gas mileage matter vastly more than a few hours of labor to remove seat tracks and base plates. Focusing on leveling the floor is putting you into that category of acting like a helpless female mindset. Being a female myself I have the right to call you out on acting like a helpless female and remind you that you are not a helpless female. So shift right out of that mode of thinking and put your brain back on track for staying focused on the important criteria for choosing a vehicle to live/travel in full time.
 
Last edited:
Get whatever van fits your other requirements. Then you can level the feet of the lounge to accommodate any variance using simple materials.

Please take a picture of the chaise and specifically the feet.

You have many options that are cheap and easy. Here are a few. For under $15 you can solve the problem.

NANMOTUE Leveling Feet Adjustable Furniture Feet, 3/8'' UNC Thread Furniture Levelers, Adjustable Leveling Feet for Table Chairs Cabinets Sofa Raiser, 4PCS Table Leg Levelers https://a.co/d/hufdjJD

X-Protector Furniture Levelers - 30 PCS 2" - Brown Rubber Shims for Leveling - Multi-Purpose Furniture Leveling Feet to Prevent Furniture from Wobbling - Good for All Kinds of Furniture! https://a.co/d/cEQP4qB

Guppyhill Soft Furniture Leveling Shims,Table Shims,Bed Shims,Toilet Shims,Home Improvement DIY Wedge Levelers (12Pack) https://a.co/d/ggqSUsI
 
Top