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Cars for Moms - comments, concerns and wants! - READ ONLY
149 messages, Last post on Aug 01, 2011 at 6:53 PM
You are in the Vans & Minivans Forum.- Your Host is KCRam@Edmunds
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#5 of 149 How many baby seats can you fit? by hampton
Nov 20, 2004 (9:32 am)
I am looking for a wagon or sedan that will hold three baby seats. My Crown Vic works but not the Protege5. Has anyone tried to fit three into the Mazda 6 wagon? Also, in a three row vehicle like the Freestyle or XC90, can one put two baby seats in the second row and still reach the third row? The both have nifty slide/fold second rows but I don't see how it could work with a baby seat installed! Thanks for any feedback.
#6 of 149 New article on Edmunds.com by Sylvia
Dec 05, 2004 (10:35 am)
Top 10 Coolest Cars for Soccer Momshttp://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/103745/article.html
#7 of 149 Re: How many baby seats can you fit? [hampton] by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST
Dec 06, 2004 (7:51 am)
Replying to: hampton (Nov 20, 2004 9:32 am)
THREE baby seats? Wow, what a challenge! I don't know of any vehicle that currently perfectly fits your situation. Many of the vehicles that have slide/fold down 2nd row seating won't work with the seats installed. Your best bet seems to be to get a vehicle that has 2nd-row split seats so that there's at least a "center aisle" to the 3rd row. Minivan is an obvious choice, but not everyone wants a minivan. You might check out these discussions:
Mazda6 Wagon (2004)
Malibu MAXX vs Mazda 6 hatch/wagon vs Outback
The comparsion topic might give you ideas about other vehicles to suit your needs.
kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host
#8 of 149 Re: How many baby seats can you fit? [hampton] by KCRam@Edmunds HOST
Dec 06, 2004 (9:22 pm)
Replying to: hampton (Nov 20, 2004 9:32 am)
The only vehicles I can think of that would match the seat space of your Crown Vic would be trucks of similar width... Ford Expedition/F150 SuperCrew, Chevy Tahoe/Avalanche. Most 3-row crossovers require that the second seat tilt, fold, or slide to get to the third row. Even if a child seat fits in the third robew, the issue of getting back there may be too large a hurdle unless you want to load/unload that child in from the rear hatch over the seatback.
Most car specification listings will tell you how many LATCH fittings they have, and I would probably use that as a guide, regardless of how many passengers the car says it can seat. The Mazda6 seats 3 in the rear, but only has 2 LATCH positions.
kcram
Host - Wagons
#9 of 149 Re: How many baby seats can you fit? [hampton] by researchqueen
Dec 16, 2004 (1:52 pm)
Replying to: hampton (Nov 20, 2004 9:32 am)
I would not use LATCH as a guide to judge baby seat capability. The goverment only requires LATCH in two rear seats, not three. Usually, the middle seat doesn't have LATCH attachments, but can sometimes still fit a baby seat. A really good bet is the Volvo XC90. You shouldn't have a problem there, and the middle seat has a built-in booster seat, meaning you wont have to try to cram three huge pieces of plastic across. It's also a great car in general.
A friend of mine also got three across in the Acura MDX, but honestly, I don't see how she did it. A lot depends on the width of your child seat, which can vary more often than you'd think.
Let us know what you decided!
#10 of 149 by lexusguy
Dec 16, 2004 (2:31 pm)
Moms\Women love the Lexus RX. My wife isnt even a mom and she loves it. Another good choice is the Acura MDX, but get a used one.#11 of 149 Now for something different: by racer63
Dec 16, 2004 (8:13 pm)
My wife is currently using our '04 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab as her family truckster. She says she likes it
It replaced a '99 Explorer XLT AWD, which did alot of things, just nothing particularly well. That in turn had replaced a '95 Jetta GLX, which was the family car around when we had our two kids. With two off-spring now 7 and 8, we didn't need the third seat, and wanted "dirty" cargo space, which the pick-up provides with a cap on the bed. Incrementally longer than a Burb/Yukon, but less money for a heavier duty truck. Only beef is sometimes parking can be a pain, but that's life with a full-size truck.
#12 of 149 sylvia by badtoy
Dec 17, 2004 (8:14 pm)
Those cars ("10 Coolest Cars for Soccer Moms") are the most pitiful recommendations I've ever seen. ALL of them are overweight and thirsty; the majority of them have less-than-average (some MUCH worse-than-average) reliability, and 90% of them handle like pigs.Cmon now -- how about setting up some criteria here, like:
- How many people do you need to carry
- What is your budget, car payment-wise, insurance-wise and fuel-wise
- What do you ask of your car other than pure physical space (like handling and fun, f'rinstance)
- Is reliability and resale value of any consequence to you at all
Once you have answered these questions honestly, I think you'll find that the choices offered are average, poor and worse. May I suggest some alternatives?
How about ANY station wagon other than a German one? (They are usually Mercedes or Audis, which have abysmal reliability, astronomic maintenance costs and terrible resale value.) A Subaru Forester (or its Saab equivalent) would be a great choice. Sparkling performance and handling with reliability to match.
You MUST have a large SUV, you say? How about a Sequoia? Nice and large, with Toyota quality and resale value into the bargain.
Only need room for five? How about the ultra-cutting-edge Scion xB? You will ALWAYS be noticed (especially if it's in hot tangerine), you will only sip gasoline, and your kids will think you're the coolest thing since (well, whatever they think is cool nowadays). Another good choice is the Honda Element, although it only has seating for four, which probably won't do.
There are many good choices out there -- I just don't think American dinosaurs are it. Sorry....
- Sylvia (Dec 20, 2004 9:53 am)
Replies to this message:
#13 of 149 badtoy by lexusguy
Dec 18, 2004 (3:36 am)
Well said. The E500 wagon that they recommend can cost as much as 80 THOUSAND dollars. 80. For a wagon. You can buy TWO RX330s or Acura MDXs for that. Is it really that much better? No. How many moms seriously care about the extra few ounces of sport you may get with a German car? My wife hated the ML500's rough ride. Oh and ask a Mom to use COMAND or iDrive. Hah!For small families I think a Forester (btw, there is no Saab version. The new Saab SUV is based on the Chevy Trailblazer, like a million other SUVs), or Pilot would do very well.
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