Carseat Choices?

Children:
DS1 4y.o. 40-1/4”height 13-1/4” torso 35 lbs.
DS2 1y.o. 32” height 11-1/2”torso 24 lbs.

Cars:
Honda CR-V 2006
Subaru Outback 2004

Carseats:
2 Evenflo Triumph 5 2003
1 Apex 2006

I currently have the Apex and Triumph in the CR-V and a single Triumph in the Outback. I’m would like to put a second seat in the Outback so we can use the car for both boys and not have to switch seats or trade cars.

1)I do like the Apex a lot (especially the longer crotch strap) but would like to have the option of having a seat that is not dependent on the head rest to give us more flexibility with grandparents/family cars.

2)Also the Triumph will expire in the next 1.5 years or so. DS2 still has acouple inches from the top but he is pretty tall. Do I get rid of both the Triumphs and replace them with new seats now that will get DS2 into a high back booster many years down the road? I like the Triumph Advanced but are there better options? Would my DS1 be able to use the TA? I would also like to keep them both in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. We commute to work with both kids and travel quite a bit on the weekends to visit family, so I would like to get them something that will be very safe and comfy.

3)I’m also concerned with fit in the car, so if anyone has had experience with the cars I have and know any seats that I should avoid, I would be very grateful.

Basically I’m looking for safety, longevity and comfort in a carseat.

Thanks!

The apex and triumph advance will basically give you around the same room height wise, so if your older son fits in the apex, he should be able to fit in the triumph advance.

Since you are already familiar with the triumph seat and seem to like it, the triumph advance might be a good seat to move to for the second car. There are other seats out there (britax marathon, Britax Regent, Safeguard, Recaro Como/Signo, Sunshine Kids Radian), but those will be more expensive then the triumph advance (still great seats though). The regent will give you the most growing room, but it is big and doesn't move around very easily between cars.

One question, is your one year old forward facing or rearfacing? At his age and weight, he is so much safer rearfacing. If you do have him forward facing, I would recommend you look into turning him back rearfacing (as long as he still has 1" of hard plastic shell above his head) in his triumph. Here is some info on why rearfacing is best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

I definiely plan on keeping DS2 rearing facing as long as I possibly can.

I have considered the following seats:
Evenflo-TA
Regent-(this seat seems so large, it seems it would take up the whole car)
Recaro Como
Recaro Signo
Radian 65

I'm just not sure what would be best and last the longest as well as fit in the car the best. It seems a couple of these seats have issues with being installed in certain cars. Are there any that I should completely avoid considering the vehicles we own?

If money were no object, then all those seats would be good choices.

The britax regent is big, but it will give you the most use out of a seat before it is outgrown. It does require a tether for heavier weight children. It doesn't move around easily from car to car. It isn't FAA approved. If you had the space in your car and didn't need to move the seat around much or fly with it, then the regent would be my first choice.

The Evenflo Triumph advance is a good overall seat. It will be outgrown about the first with its shorter top harness height and weight (17 inches, 50 pounds). It is a wide seat and will need some room on the seat, but if you don't need to fit 3 seats across in a car, that shouldn't be an issue.

Recaro Como and Recaro Signo - I am still unsure about these seats for older kids. I want to see more pictures of older kids in them before I can say they will last for a long time. The Como has a top harness height of 19 inches and the Signo is 18 inches so they should last a while. From the reviews I have heard so far, the seat is too far up on a base for older kids and the seat seems to squash older kids in the shoulder area.

Radian 65 - Good narrow seat. Would be good for traveling with. It has a top harness height of 17.5", but Sunshine Kids has stated that the radian can be used with the shoulders 1" above the top harness slot. Some people don't agree with it while others are comfortable with doing it. Just depends on how much you think they have crash tested that senerio. It should last normal kids for a while. If you have a broad shouldered boy though, it might be somewhat he might feel cramped in the seat.

I will not have to try to get 3 seats in my car.

I started liking the idea of a Radian but now I'm reconsidering. It seems there are so many posts here regarding install issues. The Regent scares me because of the size but I'm starting to think it may be the only option for my DS1. Would he lose leg room?

I have no intention of having my DS2 forward facing but
I'm concerned about the room I will need for rear facing. Will I have to push the front seats up, to far up (I have long legs)?

I feel like I'm going in circles

I was reading the review on the Evenflo Triumph Advance and read that it was difficult to install RF, has anyone else used it rear facing and had trouble installing it?

Thanks again for all the help!