I built this box for my sons Scion. I did it this way so we could still use the area for light duty cargo space. 1.8 ft^ @34 hz with the port running straight along the back. It hit's decent for the L7 10 and Cadence 600ish watts.

I know this isn't a killer build but as of right now I only have about $200 in the HU, amps, sub, and comp sets. Budget build for a kid kinda thing.

Unfinished because I'm still on the fence...

Messy here too for now...

Here's the current port exit area. It's a little tighter toward the bottom than I like and why I brought all this up.

I've been thinking of switching to a Sundown SA-12 in the same box running the same amp. Is the downfire/side port a bad idea? I could change it to sub front and port side, maybe port rear, but I'd rather not have the sub up or rear because of potential school kid damage. Or would I be better off for the SA by burning the damn box and starting over with around 2 cubes and some turns in the port?

can the sub properly vent into the cabin while down firing like that?

Try firing the sub up, and back and see how it sounds.