I am wondering if any of you can recommend a car that has a roomy backseat for a pretty large convertible carseat. We bought this carseat that is supposed to be good until my son no longer needs one, but it takes up almost all of my backseat! I have a 2006 Toyota Corolla, and I otherwise love this car. I do NOT want an SUV or a Minivan! I appreciate any feedback.
I have had several cars all 4 doors some very large. I have never been able to fit a convertable carseat rear facing well at all. It's like you have to move the front driver and passenger seat forward so much you can't fit comfortably enough to drive.
So this is what I did. I kept my daughter in her infant seat til one year old. I know many many babies get to heavy to carry in these seats after a few months old but that was my only option. So I had to carry my baby to the car and just buckeled her in the infant seat, and of course wake her up or what not and carry her into the store or whatever. It was a pain for a few months. Then after she was a year old I just put her in her convertible forward facing seat with no problems.
Your other option is to go car shopping and keep trying the carseat in the cars.
Well, we have a Britax Regent and it sounds like you have something like that and it works well in my husbands Hyundai Sonata 4 door sedan. I know the Britax Marathon in rear facing doesn't work well in my SUV or in his car unless it's in the middle and that's not an option with the two seats.
Just want to touch base on prevous poster. There's weight and height limits on infants seats.
I would suggest an Audi A6. We have the Avant, which is a wagon, but the A6 is an awesome car with a very roomy backseat. I can fit in the back with a booster and a convertible carseat and I am a bit larger than average. Audis in general, with the exception of the A4, are very roomy and are very very safe heavy cars.
Good Luck,
Bethany
It's too bad you don't want an suv. We have a Ford Escape which isn't that huge appearing but we can fit a car seat and a booster seat in back with a third passenger. Before that we had a Ford Tarus sedan which was pretty big too.
I did not want a minivan, but now have the Toyota Sienna and absolutely love it. We have not had trouble fitting car seats in it at all. If you won't get over your mini van "thing," then I would look at any other full size sedan. The Camry would be a possibility if you want to stick to Toyota. Personally, now that I have a child I would stick to the most reliable company/cars if you can afford it. Some friends have an Outback and although tight, the Britax did fit in it. Guess I'm not much of a help...good luck!
I had a Pontiac Grand AM and it had a very big back seat. I really liked the car too...it looks a little sporty. Good luck...best thing to do is just go shopping!
Tracy
I currently have a Pontiac Bonneville that has two toddler carseats in the back, and I plan on adding a third carseat (at least for a while) when my third child is born in September. I used to have a Pontiac Grand Prix, but the backseat AND the trunk space in a Bonneville is noticeably larger. I would definitely recommend a Bonneville.
Those big seats are a pain, aren't they? I bought a big one, too... and can't wait for my little guy to be able to be out of it! I drive a Subaru Outback (so it's like an SUV, I guess) but there is room in the back seat for one good sized person yet. I have a friend that drives a Nissan Altima (she loves it)and a sister-in-law is driving an Impala... roomier but I don't know how a carseat would fit... check them out if you are shopping around. Best of luck!
Ve have a very large convertable carseat also, and it fits very well in our buick lesabre. Now while I relize this is not an ideal car for many people, I think the same results would be true in any full size sedan. The carseat also fits well in my mother-in law's Impala. Also, I would look at the newer models that claim to have roomier backseats, such as the Honda Fit Or any of the Scions.
I have a Nissan Maxima, it fits 3 toddler carseats in it!
Try something larger, like a Malibu or an Impala. I recommend taking the car seat with you when you shop for cars. If it doesn't fit, don't get the car.
We have a Britax Marathon (which I think is big) and it fits great in my 2002 Ford Taurus!
Have you looked into a VW Passat? Our Britax Marathon fit very comfortably rear facing into it. We also had it in a Buick Skylark on vacation and had lots of room.
I don't know that the carseat that me and my husband have is really big persay, but we have a Ford Fusion, and it has a really big backseat. We can easily fit 2-3 carseats back there, plus I love it!!
Hi Leslie,
I don't have a car recommendation as such, but I was just going to say that our daughter's car seat took up much more room when she was facing backwards. Once we turned her around after she turned one, she was more upright and our front seat passenger could actually put their seat back a bit. Of course this won't help if your issue is the width of the seat. Good luck. We have managed with a smallish car so far.
Amy
I, too, have a Toyota Corolla. They have the littlest back seats!! My husband refuses to drive my car because he has to put the seat up so much!
Even a Toyota Camry has a roomy back seat. My friend has a Chevy Impala. While I don't see myself driving it, the back seat is HUGE!! I'm interested in looking into VW Passats. I'm a fan of the wagon. My friend has one and says it has a fairly roomy back seat.
Good luck!
Hi Leslie, my mom has a chevy impala and it has mega space in it. Its nice looking and sporty, but yet has a huge back seat and lots of trunk space. She has had it since it was brand new 8 years ago and has not had to put any work into it, except for the normal wear and tear. It actually still looks brand new! It also rides so nice and has lots of nice features. I hope that you find a car that you like and suits you and your family!
Hey Leslie,
I know of a great car salesperson. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but it isn't!! We're going to be in car seats for a long, long time so we've got to find a car that will fit them:) The corolla sounds just too small. Let me know if you want their number, I'd be more than happy to tell them you are a "personal" friend and they will hook you up good!! I promise!! :)
Beth
You said no SUV or Minivan BUT I said the same thing too. :) Since you like the Toyota Corolla - I have to put a plug in for the cars we drive. We are all about Toyota in my family. We have TWO rear-facing Britax Marathons (make that four - two in each car). They both fit fairly well in our Camry and RAV4. The RAV is the best small SUV we could find. Reasonably priced and gets good gas milage. It doesn't drive like a SUV but more like the Camry ... even better.