Question Help! Need to replace 2 seats, plus buy more for a new car in the family

From reading posts on this forum to research carseats for my husband's car, I just realized that my 6.5 year old Britax Wizard has past the Britax 6 year expiration. I think I will have to replace the carseats for both kids in my car as well as my husband's car.

I am looking for help in deciding on two seats for my car and 2 seats for my husband's car.

Zach - 7 years, small size, 42 lbs, 43 inches tall, pretty normal torso proportions, maybe a bit long in the torso. I want to keep him harnessed for a lot longer.

Leah - 4 years, average size 37 lbs, 40 inches tall, normal torso proportions. I want to keep her in a harness for at least 3+ more years.

My Car
2002 Subaru Outback - NO side airbags at all. Seats will rarely be moved out of my car. Currently Zach is in the Wizard and Leah in the Boulevard (we like the TSIP). We also like the wings for when they sleep in the car. Neither child shows any sign of outgrowing these seats. We all have loved them. I will replace both seats though, and keep Leah's Wizard as a spare for Grandma's car. I want to find a good quality seats that will work to use harness for both kids for at least 2-3 years. I am willing to buy boosters later when we want to transition to regular seat belts, so I don't care how well the seat transitions to booster. These will be the kids primary seats. It would be a plus if the seats were a bit narrower than our current seats, to try and squeeze the occasional passenger in the middle. I am looking at the Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier or Regent for this car. Both kids will get same seat (except color - each can choose) to avoid fights. Which might work best for my situation? Should I be considering other seats?

My husbands cars
2000 BMW 325 and 2010 Ford F150 (Both have side curtain airbags). Seats will be moved between the two vehicles often. These seats will be used occasionally to rarely. Cost is a consideration here, but our first priority is that the kids can be harnessed in the seats for a few more years. When we first bought the truck, I quickly bought two Evenflo Chase DLX seats to use w/ the harness. I then read the harness weight restrictions, and realized I have to return them. We were not impressed with them anyway, the cup holder and armrests were very flimsy. For this car, we would have accepted this though, as long as the seats were safe and could be used with harness for our kids for a few years. Both kids loved the "big kid" look of them anyway. I am looking at the Graco Nautilus, but don't really want to pay that much for seats that won't get much use. Would the Apex, generations, or other less expensive seat work here?

Thanks for your help with my questions - I have learned a lot from reading this website in the past couple days.

For your car I'd look at the Britax Frontier 85 for the seven year old, if you feel he needs to be harnessed. At his age and size a booster is a perfectly good alternative if he'd sit in one, though. So then double that for the four year old. I'd be worried that his torso will be too tall for a lot of other things very soon, if you really want to keep him harnessed. It's got 20" top slots, so it should fit nearly anyone.

The Regent is discontinued, but if you can find it it'd be fine.

The Nautilus would be fantastic, but I'd be worried that he'd be too long in the torso. But try him out in it, see where his shoulders fit. He may have room yet, since he's a small guy.

For your husband's car, if his torso fits, I'd look at Evenflo Maestros for both kids. They have higher top slots than the Generations, Apex, and Chase. They run $75 or so.

Wendy

I just measured my son's torso. I tried multiple times, and I guess he moved. I sometimes got 15 inches, sometimes 16. I re-measured his height and got 44 inches. Is that a long torso? Do you think he would still fit in the nautilus with harness? Thanks!

On the longer side of normal.

The Nautilus has 18.5" top slots, the Maestro 18", the Frontier 85 20". So he'd fit in all of them for at least a year, even accounting for 16" and a little change once he's in the seat in the car. He may get two years out of the Maestro and Nautilus harnesses, and as many as four in the Frontier 85.

Wendy

For your 2nd car, I would look at a booster for your 7 year old. It would give him good training for when he moves full time to a booster.

He would fit the Meastro, but only have 8# left. The Meastro goes to 50# in harness then turns to a booster.

Also, is the truck a crew or extended cab? That will determine whether the Nautilus will work for you in it.