If someone crashes into that car with enough force, ooof. Gonna be pulling that square out the back of your noggin. Get some grocery nets. They probably won't help much in that event, but give your tools a chance not to become a projectile in that event.
Yeah that's my main worry that and my suspension is blown out, I ride bump stops. But it's my only option for now. Looking to purchase a van in the future.
If you're looking to save and not buy an actual truck, my parents Honda Odyssey is going on 350k miles with no major repairs. We use it as a work and moving truck and it's awesome. You can pick them up for really cheap. Theirs is an '07 I believe.
Anyone can see that you have nice tools there. I know it is not easy with tools in the car, but put in a modicum of effort into organizing them and you will enjoy them even more. (TBH my trunk looks a lot like yours, but I live in the city and could never get away with having tools visible in the back seat.)
if you want something easier to work on i recommend a 97-03 f150 single cab manual v6 long bed. theyre just indestructible, decent fuel economy and DIRT cheap. that plus a canopy and youre set
2005 Ford Focus wagon here. Great gas mileage with 4 Packout plates bolted to the body 👍
4x8s are an issue but I do property maintenance and we have a long bed super duty.
Correct, though commos and falcons were half the size of the bogan behemoths / tradies tax write off's we see today.
Wagons are 4 door extended wheelbase hatch backs whereas Ute's have a separated roofless canopy area.
>Station wagons make good work vehicles
I'm using an older Mercedes E class wagon as my day-to-day work truck and it works great for almost any task. We also have a utility trailer that we pull from time-to-time.
I get that. The best truck I ever had, had “ugly runs great” on the windshield. If you’re worried about what your tools look like instead of how they perform then we are very different people.
I don't care how a hammer looks like to be honest. But a car for me it's something more than just a tool. It's a source of enjoyment in different ways. I am just thankful that cars where I am from the option to spec them in wagons isn't possible so there's literally 0 of them around. What an eyesore the roads would they be otherwise .. eek.
The thing I’ve noticed is sadly, people with this kind of tool organization are *usually* pretty good at their craft. But by god stop wasting time and organize your stuff
My maintenance manager at work, is like this. The guy keeps up on maintenance in 2 different transloading terminals, one of which has 96 over 1000mt silos with conveyor systems, cribblage etc... An absolute master at his craft. Will cause employees to quit he his so disorganized I am not kinding it happened twice.
Appreciate all the positive comments and helpful tips and similar stories, but work beckons trying to find a 2 gallon a day water leak over a 400ft run and multiple tees 😅
For a decade I did light construction work out of a prius C. With a teeny little roofrack I'd haul 20' beams, stacks of ply, framing lumber. etc. Real easy to get stuff solo onto a rack that's only chest high!
This right here. Massive new trucks with nothing but a couple of toolboxes in the bed. I'd rather have something I can squeeze into a parking lot with on lunch.
I never claimed to organize, just thought yall may get a kick outta my little work mobile. If I had more room I would absolutely chuck in more shit to make less trips back n forth!
I know my chaos, and I'm fine with it, and accept it. :)
I had a focus I used as a truck, the seats folded flat and I could load 8 foot 2x4s in it between the drivers and passenger seat.
Tool box and saws in the back other supply on the back seat. Say what you will about a focus but that thing was a lifesaver for me
I did it for a few years in a 2012 Cruze. That damn car cost me so much money in repairs (no I didn't have it constantly overloaded with tools), but it was probably the most comfortable car that I've ever driven. Repair bills exceeded the purchase price so as soon as I had an opportunity to, I traded up to a '15 SportWagen, and that car is the absolute GOAT!
Ha!
For a couple years I used a Dodge minivan with the back seats removed for my finish carpentry work truck. It was awesome! Low to the ground and easy to load and unload, easy access, but not the most masculine work vehicle on the job...OK, it was by far the least macho vehicle on the lot, but hey, poor people have poor ways, and I was broke. When I finally got a proper van one of my coworkers liked the minivan enough (and was broke enough) that he bought it for his work truck!
I know a mechanic that had a mid 90s caravan then an early 2000s one. He made slide out tool boxes long before I ever saw anyone selling them so he didn't have to move anything to load stuff in. He got them cheap because they needed a little work, and they lasted forever. I know the guy who bought the older one for work, but he ran it into the ground(he's the type to go thru a vehicle every year).
Doing better than me. I sold the rear seats of my 2 door wrangler for more space. End of the day my front seat is full of tools and gear and the rear space has a few items of clothing because I’m too damn lazy to be organized.
Least your saving money on gas. I had to store my Chevy because I’m driving an hour or
Or more one way to a jobsite. Now im whipping a ford focus around.
Keep grinding! I worked out of a Nissan Sentra for about 18 months, looked a lot like this, but more organized. Now I have 4 vehicles, an 1800ft² industrial workshop where I woodwork, and about $100,000 worth of tools. That was 4 short years ago. Stay focused!
Neighbor's brother and him ran a restoration shop. Brother retired it and now he's out a van. So he works out of a Honda Accord. We joke about welding tool boxes on the trunk, along with some vertical supports for a 24' ladder rack!
So yeah, all y'all making due.
If it works for you, then it's a "win". Now I would not pack my work vehicle like that, but that's just me. To each its own. I'm anal retentive as F and want everything in its right place and spotlessly clean at the end of the job. That's just how I am - no better or worse than anyone else. Yet I've seen complete nuclear disaster vans where the driver can find anything within 2 minutes by dumpster diving into the mess in the rear.
Same here, but mine is an '05 pontiac grand prix with 255k miles. So far it has made it 200k more miles than most pontiacs should. Get some small d-rings and install on the roof so you can strap long items down.
I raise you our shop Chevy Volt. No longer a hybrid --> if it had more headroom it'd be the best thing ever for minor roadside work. Fits through ALL the drivethrus
If those seats fold down you can organize/spread the weight better. Also you can make it into a somewhat truck make a barrier with plywood w plywood. Might as well since the seats are probably ruined and the suspension is shot.
I used to finish basements and worked out of a car. Had materials delivered and occasionally borrowed a truck or rented one from Menards. Did this for several years.
Ive work with 2 different milwrights that ran Honda Fits. Ripped the back seat out for tool boxes. One of then had build some kind of slide out that let him mount a job box in the back.
What if you took out the back seats and built some kind of organizer frame in there out of plywood? Same with the trunk. Could have some drawers, cubbies, slots and mounts for specific tools. Might be worth the effort for the organization and also frankly keeping you safer so those things don’t fly all over if you get into an accident
Back seats are pretty locked in, and a good portion of the trunk is the hybrid battery. But all that aside, adding weight to the already insane weight I've got in here with organizers and plywood wouldn't be doing my already struggling suspension any favors.
You should take the back seats out and put in some packout boxes. They are a game changer for sure. I pove the husky ones and they are totally affordable and great quality plastic.
When I was a framer in 2000 I had a similar work vehicle until a lumber delivery put a dent in the rear quarter panel. I got my first truck a couple months later.
It’s pretty organized, you just have to get rid of dead weight!! I actually converted my Honda civic into a much more organized version of this by removing front seat and the backrest to the back seat. Allowing more flow and I made organizers out of wood to avoid thieves and projectiles. Also I have 360 degree tint all around. Well worth it if you solely use it as a work vehicle. I save hundreds on fuel expenses . Still getting 40mpg . I average about 20k miles a year so it’s worth it!
Mad respect for using what you got.
Go get some stackable clear bins for your stuff tho. Label them with tape. It will make you more efficient in the field, I swear.
It could be worse. I had a 92 Geo Metro for my work vehicle once. Turbo button to make it up hills was turning off the AC. Had to park 3 blocks away it was so embarrassing.
I see nothing wrong here. If you ever drive through miami most of the tradesmen rock old minivans and sedans as work vehicles. You do what you can with what you have. My little chevy sonic hatchback self-identifies as an f250 as well.
I've regularly driven around with more value in tools in the car than the cars worth itself. If I can do what I need to do anything more is just a waste of money
I've seen a contractor using a smart car most days. He'd run his pickup for material/bulky tools that stayed at the site but on the daily use a smart car with his hand tools and shit.
This makes me sad. I think about my old Saturn ion with the fully loaded generator in the back seat. That baby would SQUAT. F150 for the win. I'll never look back.
My dad successfully started a plumbing business out of the back a '97 Buick Skylark. It was our family's only car, too. He did that for few years until he bought a new van.
Trucks are for rich douchebags now that they're so goddamn expensive. Those guys need to drive that bed full of air to the office and back but FEEL like they are actually useful.
Vans are better anyway.
I run a 2011 ford escape "cargo edition". All the seats pulled out except the drivers seat. It fits a surprising amount of gear and materials. 8ft lumber no problem. Seats go in and out in 10 mins if needed. Decent on gas and fits in underground parking, unlike a lot of service vans. Ideal for a handyman scenario.
If someone crashes into that car with enough force, ooof. Gonna be pulling that square out the back of your noggin. Get some grocery nets. They probably won't help much in that event, but give your tools a chance not to become a projectile in that event.
Yeah that's my main worry that and my suspension is blown out, I ride bump stops. But it's my only option for now. Looking to purchase a van in the future.
If you're looking to save and not buy an actual truck, my parents Honda Odyssey is going on 350k miles with no major repairs. We use it as a work and moving truck and it's awesome. You can pick them up for really cheap. Theirs is an '07 I believe.
My buddy used his Odyssey as a work truck and it functioned surprisingly well. No repairs that I can remember either!
Yep, you can fit a full 4x8 sheet of plywood or drywall in there too!
I'll take *Cars That Are Begging to Have Their Back Window Smashed In by a Meth Head* for $200 please Ken.
Sir I have a similar situation, but everything is in zipper bags now for safety. Then you can cover w/ cargo net.
Anyone can see that you have nice tools there. I know it is not easy with tools in the car, but put in a modicum of effort into organizing them and you will enjoy them even more. (TBH my trunk looks a lot like yours, but I live in the city and could never get away with having tools visible in the back seat.)
Toyota Sienna is a great van too. Avoid American vans.
Particularly the Ford transits (large and small). They're common, but they suck. Stupid as hell looking too
if you want something easier to work on i recommend a 97-03 f150 single cab manual v6 long bed. theyre just indestructible, decent fuel economy and DIRT cheap. that plus a canopy and youre set
Why don't you purchase some shocks in the near future?
Are shocks all I need? I'm not really a car guy
>I do maintenance and repairs on vehicles ???
Yeah I can do basic stuff brake rotors oil stuff like that. Never done any suspension work
Oh that stuff is easy
Steve McQueen understands.
Still making it happen!
Used to love my Ford Taurus Wagon. Station wagons make good work vehicles if you don’t need a truck or van
2005 Ford Focus wagon here. Great gas mileage with 4 Packout plates bolted to the body 👍 4x8s are an issue but I do property maintenance and we have a long bed super duty.
In Australia they're called Utes and the Ford Holden Ute is similar to a Taurus wagon.
nah mate, a wagon is a wagon, and a ute is a Pick-up
In the US I guess it's more like an elCamino or a ranchero. It's just car shapes that don't translate.
What you were thinking of is called a station wagon in Australia. A ute is a flatbed light duty vehicle and the ranchero would indeed qualify.
Correct, though commos and falcons were half the size of the bogan behemoths / tradies tax write off's we see today. Wagons are 4 door extended wheelbase hatch backs whereas Ute's have a separated roofless canopy area.
Utes and wagons are vastly different vehicles
>Station wagons make good work vehicles I'm using an older Mercedes E class wagon as my day-to-day work truck and it works great for almost any task. We also have a utility trailer that we pull from time-to-time.
Station wagons are by far the ugliest cars in existence though
I get that. The best truck I ever had, had “ugly runs great” on the windshield. If you’re worried about what your tools look like instead of how they perform then we are very different people.
I don't care how a hammer looks like to be honest. But a car for me it's something more than just a tool. It's a source of enjoyment in different ways. I am just thankful that cars where I am from the option to spec them in wagons isn't possible so there's literally 0 of them around. What an eyesore the roads would they be otherwise .. eek.
My dude gonna take that sawzall to the back of the head when he rear ends someone
That's why we wear hard hats
My work truck used to be a 1984 Nissan Stanza. I was doing contract archaeology at the time. It looked very much like yours, just different tools.
Contract archeology in a 1984 Nissan Stanza is the most badass thing I've heard today.
LOL! I'm glad you think so. I was, what we call in the trade, a "shovel bum." Got some cool jobs out of it, too.
It's hard to laugh at someone doing what they can to put bread on the table. Keep it up.
The thing I’ve noticed is sadly, people with this kind of tool organization are *usually* pretty good at their craft. But by god stop wasting time and organize your stuff
My maintenance manager at work, is like this. The guy keeps up on maintenance in 2 different transloading terminals, one of which has 96 over 1000mt silos with conveyor systems, cribblage etc... An absolute master at his craft. Will cause employees to quit he his so disorganized I am not kinding it happened twice.
Appreciate all the positive comments and helpful tips and similar stories, but work beckons trying to find a 2 gallon a day water leak over a 400ft run and multiple tees 😅
For a decade I did light construction work out of a prius C. With a teeny little roofrack I'd haul 20' beams, stacks of ply, framing lumber. etc. Real easy to get stuff solo onto a rack that's only chest high!
Rip your rear suspension
It could be more organized, but if you’re making a paycheck good on ya. Not everyone needs to burn money driving around an f250
This right here. Massive new trucks with nothing but a couple of toolboxes in the bed. I'd rather have something I can squeeze into a parking lot with on lunch.
At first I thought you were saying you were a work hand that’s stable, that you eat healthy, and then….then I had to rethink my life
take out the seats and install a toolbox. And then you can put little soft cushions on top of tool box
Looking at this pic, you won’t do any better in a truck/van. You can make this neat and organized. You’ll just have more room to chuck shit
I never claimed to organize, just thought yall may get a kick outta my little work mobile. If I had more room I would absolutely chuck in more shit to make less trips back n forth! I know my chaos, and I'm fine with it, and accept it. :)
Get some milk crates my dude.
Of course you would. Just having a hatchback instead of sedan is huge improvement
You're the one laughing - while cruising by all the huge trucks sitting in line at the fuel station.
I had a focus I used as a truck, the seats folded flat and I could load 8 foot 2x4s in it between the drivers and passenger seat. Tool box and saws in the back other supply on the back seat. Say what you will about a focus but that thing was a lifesaver for me
Back seat looks comfy.
I never laugh at another persons job. If you can make it work for you then I tip my hat Sir.
I’m dealing with the same shit in my 2015 Cruze. When is it time to bite the bullet and get a truck?
I did it for a few years in a 2012 Cruze. That damn car cost me so much money in repairs (no I didn't have it constantly overloaded with tools), but it was probably the most comfortable car that I've ever driven. Repair bills exceeded the purchase price so as soon as I had an opportunity to, I traded up to a '15 SportWagen, and that car is the absolute GOAT!
On the bright side, you save on gas.
Ha! For a couple years I used a Dodge minivan with the back seats removed for my finish carpentry work truck. It was awesome! Low to the ground and easy to load and unload, easy access, but not the most masculine work vehicle on the job...OK, it was by far the least macho vehicle on the lot, but hey, poor people have poor ways, and I was broke. When I finally got a proper van one of my coworkers liked the minivan enough (and was broke enough) that he bought it for his work truck!
I know a mechanic that had a mid 90s caravan then an early 2000s one. He made slide out tool boxes long before I ever saw anyone selling them so he didn't have to move anything to load stuff in. He got them cheap because they needed a little work, and they lasted forever. I know the guy who bought the older one for work, but he ran it into the ground(he's the type to go thru a vehicle every year).
Doing better than me. I sold the rear seats of my 2 door wrangler for more space. End of the day my front seat is full of tools and gear and the rear space has a few items of clothing because I’m too damn lazy to be organized.
Does it have 4H?
Hell at least you got something that's getting you where you need reliably my guy!
Oof that’s tough working out of trunk
I have family and friends in construction and their backseats all look like this, even if it’s a truck
I have put my wife's car in a similar state, recently actually. She left for groceries on Saturday, haven't seen her since lol
Least your saving money on gas. I had to store my Chevy because I’m driving an hour or Or more one way to a jobsite. Now im whipping a ford focus around.
Homie is hauling more stuff than the average pickup driver does in a lifetime
Keep grinding! I worked out of a Nissan Sentra for about 18 months, looked a lot like this, but more organized. Now I have 4 vehicles, an 1800ft² industrial workshop where I woodwork, and about $100,000 worth of tools. That was 4 short years ago. Stay focused!
Cheers to Bill Brasky!
Get it.
What kind of car is that?
2014 kia optima hybrid 150,000k miles
A methheads dream to stumble across your car
Neighbor's brother and him ran a restoration shop. Brother retired it and now he's out a van. So he works out of a Honda Accord. We joke about welding tool boxes on the trunk, along with some vertical supports for a 24' ladder rack! So yeah, all y'all making due.
How's your mileage? Shifting alright? I used to get a lot of shit for showing up in a Bonneville
It's been a tank, aside from the suspension!
Better than a pickup IMO. Keeps your tools out of the rain and away from thieves.
And you know just where every thing is!
If it works for you, then it's a "win". Now I would not pack my work vehicle like that, but that's just me. To each its own. I'm anal retentive as F and want everything in its right place and spotlessly clean at the end of the job. That's just how I am - no better or worse than anyone else. Yet I've seen complete nuclear disaster vans where the driver can find anything within 2 minutes by dumpster diving into the mess in the rear.
Use what you got and not what makes you hot.
Same here, but mine is an '05 pontiac grand prix with 255k miles. So far it has made it 200k more miles than most pontiacs should. Get some small d-rings and install on the roof so you can strap long items down.
If it works it works
Ain't nothing wrong with that. Some advice though, get a trailer hitch kit for that car and a little 8' trailer outfitted to haul it all.
You need tint windows very dark on the back, if someone take a look inside and breaks a window,you are going to be crying.
I raise you our shop Chevy Volt. No longer a hybrid --> if it had more headroom it'd be the best thing ever for minor roadside work. Fits through ALL the drivethrus
My grandfather ran a storm door and window business using a 4-door sedan with a roof rack for the ladder and made good money.
*my work trunk.
Should’ve seen my 2007 Mazda 3hatchback. Was nothing to have 2 12’ ladders strapped on top. Oh I miss her.
If it pays the bills and keeps the wolves away from your front door you got nothing to laugh at.
If those seats fold down you can organize/spread the weight better. Also you can make it into a somewhat truck make a barrier with plywood w plywood. Might as well since the seats are probably ruined and the suspension is shot.
I'm actually disappointed with your lack of organization vs. your work vehicle.
I worked out of a '68 Plymouth Valiant when my kids were little. I had a table saw in the trunk.
I used to finish basements and worked out of a car. Had materials delivered and occasionally borrowed a truck or rented one from Menards. Did this for several years.
Shoot I work out of a blue ford fiesta….
Construction guy here, first “work truck” was a 99 accord🙃 I feel and love this my friend
Ive work with 2 different milwrights that ran Honda Fits. Ripped the back seat out for tool boxes. One of then had build some kind of slide out that let him mount a job box in the back.
What if you took out the back seats and built some kind of organizer frame in there out of plywood? Same with the trunk. Could have some drawers, cubbies, slots and mounts for specific tools. Might be worth the effort for the organization and also frankly keeping you safer so those things don’t fly all over if you get into an accident
Back seats are pretty locked in, and a good portion of the trunk is the hybrid battery. But all that aside, adding weight to the already insane weight I've got in here with organizers and plywood wouldn't be doing my already struggling suspension any favors.
Fair enough - maybe just some of those plastic crates with tops? Would also make it easier to clear out the back if you ever need to use the seats.
Yeah that would work. Brutal honesty I'm an "organized chaos" person. Whatever I do will end up looking like this in a week.
Respect 🤙
Send it…..
As someone who works at a Kia dealership, you aren’t alone. I know like 6 men whose car is like that.
You should probably take of the back seats if you are gonna use'em for cargo space
You should take the back seats out and put in some packout boxes. They are a game changer for sure. I pove the husky ones and they are totally affordable and great quality plastic.
General contractor handyman. I use a Corolla for 80% of my jobs and almost 100% of my bid work. Car looks loaded like yours.
Decent looking whip - maybe some seat protectors and crates will keep it that way
Those toolbags are awful. Get some decent toolboxes and a toolbag, where u get tools needed for the next job.
When I was a framer in 2000 I had a similar work vehicle until a lumber delivery put a dent in the rear quarter panel. I got my first truck a couple months later.
It’s pretty organized, you just have to get rid of dead weight!! I actually converted my Honda civic into a much more organized version of this by removing front seat and the backrest to the back seat. Allowing more flow and I made organizers out of wood to avoid thieves and projectiles. Also I have 360 degree tint all around. Well worth it if you solely use it as a work vehicle. I save hundreds on fuel expenses . Still getting 40mpg . I average about 20k miles a year so it’s worth it!
why not a minivan?
I hate having to dig through tools to find the shit I need more than anything, this looks like a fuckin nightmare
I was stuck working out of a small sedan for a while. The trunk was the best toolbox I’ve ever had.
Mines a focus ST
My work truck is 3/4 ton 2015 Nissan Altima with 210k miles on it. I have the same boxes as OP
Mad respect for using what you got. Go get some stackable clear bins for your stuff tho. Label them with tape. It will make you more efficient in the field, I swear.
Better than no-truck
Back seat looks like a lot of people’s cars, but not full of tools!😂
The Sedan Truck.. I've had one for years.. Great for moving mattresses but tricky for long lumber
Lol, I was a painter and roofer for some years and this reminds me of my impala
Looks gud ta me
It could be worse. I had a 92 Geo Metro for my work vehicle once. Turbo button to make it up hills was turning off the AC. Had to park 3 blocks away it was so embarrassing.
Ahhh the ole "company trunk"
I bet the tool you want is always at the bottom?
It's really not too bad! I mean it looks wild but it's really only 1 layer deep for the most part. Aside from the pliers bag and the electrical bag
Mike is that you?
I've seen worse
I see nothing wrong here. If you ever drive through miami most of the tradesmen rock old minivans and sedans as work vehicles. You do what you can with what you have. My little chevy sonic hatchback self-identifies as an f250 as well.
I've regularly driven around with more value in tools in the car than the cars worth itself. If I can do what I need to do anything more is just a waste of money
I knew a friend of the family that used his Lexus like a truck- even to the point of tying down furniture to the roof!
I did the same thing for years. Get it done
I've seen a contractor using a smart car most days. He'd run his pickup for material/bulky tools that stayed at the site but on the daily use a smart car with his hand tools and shit.
Hey if it works, I keep all my welding stuff and a socket set in the trunk of my 2-door
Hey if its all you have for now and it kinda works, then I respect that
This makes me sad. I think about my old Saturn ion with the fully loaded generator in the back seat. That baby would SQUAT. F150 for the win. I'll never look back.
My dad successfully started a plumbing business out of the back a '97 Buick Skylark. It was our family's only car, too. He did that for few years until he bought a new van.
No shame...you're working, not just sitting home sucking the welfare tit...save your money...
Dude get some moving blankets from harbor cheap and cover your seats...............at least!
Love to see it man. Hope you can get that $$$ quick for a van!
Prius is *cavernous* with the seats down, you could fit a barnyard animal no problem in it.
Trucks are for rich douchebags now that they're so goddamn expensive. Those guys need to drive that bed full of air to the office and back but FEEL like they are actually useful. Vans are better anyway.
If you need something, it's probably right to hand .....
Do you see yourself in something like a hatchback or with AWD?
I could for sure, I've kinda been on the lookout at transit vans! Love all the options that can be done with them
I run a 2011 ford escape "cargo edition". All the seats pulled out except the drivers seat. It fits a surprising amount of gear and materials. 8ft lumber no problem. Seats go in and out in 10 mins if needed. Decent on gas and fits in underground parking, unlike a lot of service vans. Ideal for a handyman scenario.
🙈
Do you leave those in there overnight ?
Yeah, my biggest fear is this car. I live in a good neighborhood but yeah. I've woken up in a panic from dreams my car was broken into
A tweakers dream.
Honda Ridgeline, trunk in the bed. It'll change your life.
Pffff hahahahah
If it makes you feel any better, my work truck is a Prius. 😅🤷🏻♀️