The Chrysler minivans were the answer to the prayers of what had been a failing automaker just a few years prior when they debuted in 1984. A box on wheels that wasn’t the massive truck-based wagons that had existed, the K-vans offered up fuel economy, room, and a compact size that was much more manageable than trying to wrangle around a Dodge Tradesman. I grew up just as the minivan started to give way to the sport-utility…they were still plentiful by the ton but you could see the influx of Eddie Bauer Explorers starting to make inroads. I guarantee that junkyards have been hard at work smashing Caravans and Voyagers flatter than pancakes for twenty years strong now with no stopping, just as I’m willing to bet it’s because nobody wants to deal with owning an old minivan. It’s been used up and the world has moved on, right?
What about all that reduce, reuse, recycle crap that was shoved down our throats in school? Remember how you were supposed to find a new use for an old item to keep it from being thrown away? Someone remembered when it came to the fate of this 1994 Plymouth Voyager. Instead of just sending yet another minivan to the local scrapyard, it was instead hacked up into a homemade ute. Laugh all you will, but if we happened on a cheap enough minivan that was running, we’d be tempted to do it ourselves. The Voyager was the low-buck entrance option into the prestigious world of Chrysler minivans for 1994, and this one appears to be a seriously base model, so we’d expect the 2.5L four-banger and a three-speed Torqueflite transaxle. That would actually be a blessing in disguise, because it spares you from the ticking time bomb known as the Ultradrive.
Would it make a good shop rig, though? Let’s think about it: would you be bothered throwing greasy bits in the back? Would you have any issue hauling around tools or parts? You aren’t towing a trailer, for sure, but for 85% of what you’d do in the average week, for dirt-cheap money and no truck payment, it’s a tempting idea.
Facebook Marketplace link: 1994 Plymouth Voyager
Pretty “freaking” cool….for Kentucky !!! ( have Kentucky roots…) 🙂
Yes – now imagine a ‘Shelby’ type ‘GLH’ version…..
That would make a great pit vehicle.
Rather start out with an Astro or Aerostar platform. Then you could make it disturbingly fast, too! (And yes, I’ve driven a Shelby CSX with a bunch of work done, so I understand what these things can turn into…. but the torque steer is ferocious!)
I’ve always said that Detroit missed the boat on this type of vehicle.
Drop in a SRT4 drivetrain…
Call it the SCAMP and market it…it might sell
Saying this mini van was “hacked up” is an insult to the skill of its builder. I have never seen a pick up conversion done so well that it looks like it left the factory that way!
The only problem I see with it is the lack of a functional tailgate.
That’s a pretty clean build. Usually people hack the back straight off and slap in some flat metal and glass, but this guy went to the trouble of fitting the original hatchback body and glass. And it looks like a good deal even if it needs a little mechanic work.
these are in salvage yards all over . yard cars.
I am kind of with this, tailgate not working bad, equal lots of work though.