Should I throw away the back seats of my van?

[citytravelfotos]

This might be a petty thing, but I removed the back seats of my conversion van (including the sofabed) and I'm wondering whether to throw away the back seats or keep them in a storage just in case I had to sell the van for some unforeseen reason in the future.  I have a little bit of a problem throwing away stuff, so advice is wanted, thanks.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I tossed the two rows out of my mini van last year, and regretted it within a month. Sure, it is a great little mini camper van now, ideal for long drivers, but a two-seater van has zero resale value and I no longer have a reason to keep the little guy. I'm now stuck with a van that I really do not use, do not want to store, and can not sell. Keep them around, I'd say.<br><br>BTW - you can see my van on these very forums

 

[citytravelfotos]

^ The seats are so big though that they would take up a lot of storage space. &nbsp;I'm not sure that they could fit in my 5 x 5 storage, and a 5 x 5 storage in the L.A. area isn't cheap (about $60 to $70 a month.)

 

[Vern M]

<p>Keep em!!!</p><p>They make great chairs in the den. Dogs, in particular, seem to love to curl up in them. At least my Cocker and the one from next door that sometimes lives here (when she's P.O.'d at her parents).<br><br>Same for the rear seat. Just be sure it is attached to a board or something to keep it from tipping over backwards.&nbsp;As you observe, they'll also up the value of the van if you ever sell it. I've kept everything I took out, including the original drapes, removed trim, etc.</p>

 

[ZOFCHAK]

&nbsp;Unless you have free storage available I would ditch them (Actually sell them).&nbsp; If your van is being converted for fulltime living then you can always market it that way when it comes time to sell.&nbsp; If you keep the van for a few years and end up paying to store the seats I doubt&nbsp; you'll recoup the fees from your eventual sale.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I'd think about keeping the sofabed at least. I threw all of mine away, recently I have even taken out the passenger seat (still have it, but trying to decide to keep or not) but the only thing I really regret now, is not keeping the sofa bed.

 

[highdesertranger]

[No message]

 

[highdesertranger]

sorry about that blank post.&nbsp; I was going to say what zofchak said.&nbsp; if you are paying to store them then sell them.&nbsp; if you have free storage then keep them.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[DollarJoe67]

If you are going to make any permanent alterations to your van then future buyers will have to re-renovate to re-install the seats.&nbsp; Who would want to buy a van and have to go through that hassle for some seats?&nbsp; I say rid yourself of the seats.&nbsp; Even at $30/month the cost of storage over one yr would be $360, two yrs $720...bam, could buy new seats at that price.&nbsp; As said before, if storage is free....

 

[heartofcarrot]

We don't live in our van, but use it to tow our travel trailer. We (meaning Kevin), took out the seat and built a table/bed with storage in case we want to take trips in just the van. We gave the seat to the campground we were living at the time.

 

[caseyc]

I too pondered this question for many months. Finally, after making so many alterations to my van that have now become permanent, it made sense to get rid of my 2 middle captain chairs and rear bench seat. I finally sold those 3 items on Craigslist for $160 total. I wasn't able to get $300 that I originally requested. Oh well.

 

[Malibusurfer]

Craigslist Em'!!!

 

[MrNoodly]

One of the vandwellers I periodically hang with hated the old broken down seats in the conversion van he'd re-converted for vandwelling. He thought he'd need to scrounge salvage yards or eBay for something better. Then another vandweller he met was getting rid of the back seats from his conversion van. The first guy got them, and with a little drilling and fiddling to get his front seat brackets to fit the other guy's seats, presto, he had good replacement seats. So, sell or give away your back seats to someone who might need them.

 

[hippiechk]

Hi there;

From my experience I would sure get rid of them. I have found replacement seats so readily available that spending money to store them just doesn't make financial sense. If they are in good shape then like the previous posters advised sell them, you could always put that money aside in the event you need them.

Whatever you decide...welcome *smile*

And yes...we do like pics!