Check this out

[CRS]

Grrr I am so jealous - I WANT A NEW CAR! lol Everyone here seems to get really new really expensive cars - maybe it's an American thing? I only know a couple of people with BRAND NEW cars, everyone else has really old cars, most pre 2000. I certainly can't afford a post 2000 car any way!

 

[Patriot201]

Grrr I am so jealous - I WANT A NEW CAR! lol Everyone here seems to get really new really expensive cars - maybe it's an American thing? I only know a couple of people with BRAND NEW cars, everyone else has really old cars, most pre 2000. I certainly can't afford a post 2000 car any way!

I bought my current car as a brand-new car, but it was a big stretch for me (financially). I still don't own a house, though.

Cars are much, much, much cheaper than housing, though. The difference in price between my brand-new car and a one-bedroom condo is about $250,000- $300,000. That's a ridiculously huge difference! The difference between the price of my car and an averagely-sized single-family house is about $500,000-$600,000. Again, that is a ridiculously huge difference.

 

[CDNTech]

I bought my current car as a brand-new car, but it was a big stretch for me (financially). I still don't own a house, though.

Cars are much, much, much cheaper than housing, though. The difference in price between my brand-new car and a one-bedroom condo is about $250,000- $300,000. That's a ridiculously huge difference! The difference between the price of my car and an averagely-sized single-family house is about $500,000-$600,000. Again, that is a ridiculously huge difference.

You must live in my neighbourhood.

 

[all together ooky]

Congrats on the new wheels! They look happier so you must be happpier too. No feet in the face is a good thing.

 

[NOAHSMOM]

Congrats on the new car!

My dad has the same van and I had the most difficult time installing my son's FPSVD in the 1st row due to the headrests and the straightness of the seat. I could not accomplish a seatbelt install for the life of me! Is there a trick to it? I'm just not formiliar enough with vans. If you FF a seat in that row can you write about it, it bothers me when I cannot accomplish something (had to use a very up-right latch install).

 

[ThreeBeans]

Congrats on the new car!

My dad has the same van and I had the most difficult time installing my son's FPSVD in the 1st row due to the headrests and the straightness of the seat. I could not accomplish a seatbelt install for the life of me! Is there a trick to it? I'm just not formiliar enough with vans. If you FF a seat in that row can you write about it, it bothers me when I cannot accomplish something (had to use a very up-right latch install).

I installed DS' Wizard in the first row easy-peasy at the dealership, though I used LATCH. The trick is to take the headrest off

 

[ThreeBeans]

PS, I just found out I can put a ff radian on either side of DS Wizard It is a tight squeeze but the bench is perfectly flat so they fit. Interestingly enough, a RF Radian doesn't puzzle with a ff Wizard in that position

Doesn't matter...I can fit FIVE HARNESSED KIDS IN MY CAR!

 

[stayinhomewithmy6]

I still have the Radians, they will go in my husband's Stratus. I've always had the Britaxes, I had to give them up when we had Bean the Third


Yup, it's ours, bought and signed for and sitting in my garage right now! The ride home was sooooo peaceful...no one was kicking anyone in the face

Congrats on the new van! I'm green with envy! Our plan is to get a new van in the spring and I absolutely can't wait! Just the thought of having LATCH makes me drool!

I hear ya about kicking in the face. That's always a problem with my 2 DS's. RF E is always kicking FF X in the face!

It is fun being able to fit 5 harnessed kids, isn't it? Even if you don't need to, I still think it's fun to have 5 car seats all puzzled in, you know... just in case.

 

[andbabiesmake4]

The only thing I hate about my van is that since there is more room, there is more of a mess. :thumbsdown:

LOL oh so true! When we had our van that's what happened.

Congrats on the new ride!!! Is that an '05?? We had an '05 and it had captain chairs.. I didn't know there was a bench in some.
Don't you just LOVE the back row soo comfortable.. LOL!

I do love vans.. DH doesn't agree haha

 

[Laurenc0101]

Congrats! It looks nice and roomy!!

 

[lovinwaves]

Cool new Ride Threebeans.

 

[Chameleon]

Awesome!! It looks so comfy in there.

 

[NOAHSMOM]

I installed DS' Wizard in the first row easy-peasy at the dealership, though I used LATCH. The trick is to take the headrest off

My dad would never had allowed it....he was nervous that I was going to break the seatbelt by installing the carseat tightly! Alas, I'm glad the the seats are installing so well for you.

 

[ThreeBeans]

He wouldn't have allowed you to take the headrest off

They're designed to come off...it's not a major operation. LOL.


Guess what I discovered reading the manual last night. The thing DOES have a fourth tether anchor....ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT.

Yes. That makes tons of sense. Two in the middle bench, ONE in the third row, and one in the front row. What were they thinking?

 

[ZephyrBlue]

Love your new wheels, ThreeBeans! The littles look much happier, too :thumbsup:

 

[Jeanum]

Well, it could be used for a rear facing top tether anchor point if you ever need one behind the front passenger seat. :thumbsup: Congrats on becoming a minivan owner, it makes life a lot easier with the kiddos. If you want the license plate picture taken out of the OP, just say the word and a mod can probably remove it for you (the picture at any rate, I'm not confident in my ability to edit out the plate only, lol).

 

[BudgieStew]

He wouldn't have allowed you to take the headrest off

They're designed to come off...it's not a major operation. LOL.


Guess what I discovered reading the manual last night. The thing DOES have a fourth tether anchor....ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT.

Yes. That makes tons of sense. Two in the middle bench, ONE in the third row, and one in the front row. What were they thinking?

Hmmm Must go look at my 07 van and see if ours has one there as well. It did not come with a manual so its not like I can check it. I don't have the spare 100.00 right now to buy one.

eta nope not that I would use it but I wonder if the 04 we had a few years ago had one.The 07 has power adjust seats.

Did that year come with the auto doors/hatch?That is my favorite feature.That and the adjustable pedals since I am so short...honestly if if didn't have that there is no way I could drive the van. our manual cars I've always had to pull myself up to push the clutch and shift at at the same time.

 

[Jeanum]

The Freestar (and Windstars) have the tether anchor on the front passenger seat if it's a manually adjustable seat, but not if it's a power seat according to the LATCH manual.

 

[ThreeBeans]

Yup....the driver's seat is power, but the passenger is manual and has the anchor :thumbsup:

So I suppose if I was feeling brave I could put SIX harnessed kids in my car

Although I don't like the look of the buckle stalks on the front seat, I think they would be very difficult to install a carseat with.


I fixed the license plate picture. See my mad artistic skillz, yo?

 

[Jeanum]

Nice fake vanity plate, that's much better and safer than the real thing. :thumbsup:

If only Ford had put tether anchors in all of the third row seating positions, it probably wouldn't be such a temptation for anyone CPS savvy to use that front passenger seat for a child restraint installation. In a weird, hypothetical emergency where the only place to install say a Regent for a 50 lb.+ plus kiddo is the front seat, you're maybe good to go, eh? Of course anyone who isn't so CPS savvy and eagerly thinks a FF harnessed child should ride up front when there is an available rear seating position isn't probably going to be focusing on using that front top tether anchor, either.