Convertible seat for Buick Century

Unregistered · Feb 16, 2010

Which convertible would you suggest to RF our daughter in a 2002 Buick Century (it has LATCH)? She's 7 months old, 17.5 lbs, average height, currently in a Graco SnugRide, so there's a little time. The Century has a pretty soft backseat...is this going to cause difficulty getting a solid install?

We also have a son, 3.5 y/o, 40 lbs, in a Graco Nautilus.

Kay

thepote · Feb 16, 2010

Welcome

Unregistered said:
The Century has a pretty soft backseat...is this going to cause difficulty getting a solid install?

It definitely could. I tried to install a rear-facing car seat in a captains chair of a motor home and the seat was 12" of squishy foam. It didn't work.

The ones that tend to get recommended a lot here are the My Ride, True Fit, Radian, and Complete Air. Any of these will get you a few more years of rear-facing. Best practice is to rear-face to the RF height/weight limits of convertible seat that goes to 35-45 lbs RF. This is about age 3-4.

Stores like Babies R Us will let you try the seats in your car to see if you can get a good installation. There are on-line stores that will allow you to purchase return insurance for a couple more dollars so you can ship the seat back if it's not going to work out.

Please feel free to take pictures and come back here with any problems you are having. There are lots of very wise people here :thumbsup:

aeormsby · Feb 16, 2010

I think my MIL/FIL have a Century and we had our RF MA installed without a problem in their car.

krasota · Feb 16, 2010

I have a Buick Regal (1995), which probably has a very similar backseat (Century has different trim and a smaller engine, right?). I have a very hard time getting a rock solid RF install with our Britax Blvd, which may be moot. (If I were buying a convertible today, I'd buy a different seat.)

Anyhow, it takes time and contorting yourself into that space to get the seatbelt tight and the seat firm. I can't get a quick RF install in that car and our particular carseat won't work in the middle due to the upholstery hump and the placement of the seatbelts. But it is, of course, possible to get a passenger/driver-side RF install with more patience than I normally possess. (When our other/regular family car is out of commission, we just ride the bus now.)

Unregistered · Feb 17, 2010

Sorry not to have replied faster...my Internet connection gets sketchy sometimes. Yes, the Century and Regal probably have very similar backseats. Which convertible seat would you put in your Regal?

I think I am leaning toward the True Fit. But would the Evenflo Triumph Advance not work well in my car, or does it just have lower weight limits than the ones you mentioned (and thus less bang for the buck)?

aeormsby, which seat is the MA? I figured out some of the abbreviations on here, but am stumped by that one.

Kay

aeormsby · Feb 18, 2010

MA is the Marathon, it would install the same as the Blvd.

krasota · Feb 18, 2010

I don't really drive the Regal any more, but if I did, I'd see whether one of the Radians or the MyRide installed better, I suppose. I'd simply buy a seat other than a Britax these days.

I'm not certain I need the extra height/weight of a Radian. My son is almost three and is probably still under three feet and probably under 25lbs. He's tiny. So if the MyRide installed well, I'd probably go with that.

I think that with the deep foam on that seat, just about any seat is gonna be a bit of a bear to lean on and get installed.

I haven't seen the EvenFlo seat in any of my friends' cars, so I have no experience with it.

Dillipop · Feb 18, 2010

I have a 99 Century and it is a breeze to install seats in. Those squishy seats really make for a rock solid install.

I've installed rfing, in all positions of the car at some point-
Marathon
Triumph Advance
Radian
Scenera (locking clip may be needed to help prevent tilting)
Uptown (now the avenue)
Titan
Comfort Sport

There may be others, but off the top of my head, I've definitely done all of these. They have all been seatbelt installs, as my car is pre-LATCH.

Unregistered · Feb 19, 2010

Thanks for all your advice! For some reason I had not considered the MyRide, but after reading lots of good reviews, and realizing all our other seats have been Graco (my son had a ComfortSport prior to the Nautilus), I think we will try that one first.

Kay

Convertible seat for Buick Century

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