If you have 4 in car seats, what's your vehicle?

U

Unregistered

Guest
What are you driving? I'm looking into an older vehicle not brand new. Currently looking at a traverse 09
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katymyers

Active member
Minivan all the way! You seriously can't beat them for convenience, cargo space, people space, ease of loading kids in, drivability, and cost of ownership.


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khaag27

New member
Vehicle for 4 carseats?

Kids are: 6years in a booster, 4years in a frontier, 2years in a Boulevard, and new baby will be in a keyfit30.

I would be buying used as this is a second car for me, dh has an excursion. I am not really open to the idea of a mini van, so im looking for other options. I am considering an older traverse but im not sure, I dont need tons of room.

What do you all think?
 

lgenne

New member
Re: Vehicle for 4 carseats?

What's your budget? How much room do you need?

The Mazda5 is very car seat friendly, with the exception that boosters often don't work well in the 3rd row. It is a 6 seater, so you'd fill the back two rows, and there's not much storage space if the 3rd row is up.

I love having RF convertibles in the 3rd row. Buckling through the hatch is super easy.
 

khaag27

New member
Re: Vehicle for 4 carseats?

What's your budget? How much room do you need?

The Mazda5 is very car seat friendly, with the exception that boosters often don't work well in the 3rd row. It is a 6 seater, so you'd fill the back two rows, and there's not much storage space if the 3rd row is up.

I love having RF convertibles in the 3rd row. Buckling through the hatch is super easy.

Thats a mini van correct? I would rather have a small suv honestly, mini vans just aren't for me, and dh says no as well to one.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Re: Vehicle for 4 carseats?

Thats a mini van correct? I would rather have a small suv honestly, mini vans just aren't for me, and dh says no as well to one.


While technically it might fit into the minivan category, it's not really a minivan, IMO. Yes, it has sliding doors and a third row. However, it is built on a sedan frame, so it handles like a car. Ours has pep and is much more fun to drive than our true minivan.


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lgenne

New member
Re: Vehicle for 4 carseats?

Thats a mini van correct? I would rather have a small suv honestly, mini vans just aren't for me, and dh says no as well to one.


Sort of? Not really. Descriptions used for it include "microvan", "mini minivan", and "difficult to classify". It's more like a small station wagon with sliding doors. It drives almost exactly like a Mazda 3.

You are unlikely to fit 4 car seats in a small SUV. Even larger SUVs can be difficult.
 

Mommy!

Active member
Re: Vehicle for 4 carseats?

Do you absolutely need your "new" vehicle to fit the whole family (6) or can you get by with a five seater and drive DH's car when you all need to travel?

If five works for you, I drive a Ford Crown Victoria and DH drives our Dodge Grand Caravan (electrician, needs it for work). No problems fitting three car seats across the back and our DD is up front in a no back booster. Car has a passenger airbag sensor that turns off the airbag when it senses DD (or anyone under 100lbs aprox). Huge deep trunk that holds at least as much as most minivans behind the third row. Last model year made is 2011.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
We have a Toyota sienna. It easily fits 4 in seats (I have an 8 seater and regularly have 6 seats installed) and I still have cargo room and I don't have to worry about the kids smashing a door into another car.

Our secondary vehicle is a mazda5. I can also easily install 4 kids in the backseat an it has sliding doors as well. Cargo room is non-existent though, so it is dh's commuter car. We wanted the ability to transport all 4 kids in both vehicles easily in case the van was broken down or dh had to pick the kids up somewhere while I had the van.


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ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
We have a Honda Oddysey. A minivan (Sienna, Ody, Sedona depending on model years) is the only thing I'd consider us having other than a full size van if I anticipated the family growing precipitously (a NV maybe.)
 

pooh136

New member
I have a 2015 traverse with 2 rearfacing seats and 2 boosters (I also had a 2009 as my original one). It would help to know what 4 car seats you have, since the traverse is not the most car seat friendly. It is very difficult to fit a rearfacing seat in the 3rd row (but I have done it) and there is only one top tether in the center of the 3rd row, so that limits the options for forward facing seats. Let me know if you have more specific questions about the traverse.
 

khaag27

New member
I have a 2015 traverse with 2 rearfacing seats and 2 boosters (I also had a 2009 as my original one). It would help to know what 4 car seats you have, since the traverse is not the most car seat friendly. It is very difficult to fit a rearfacing seat in the 3rd row (but I have done it) and there is only one top tether in the center of the 3rd row, so that limits the options for forward facing seats. Let me know if you have more specific questions about the traverse.

I would greatly appreciate your help!! I don't want to buy something that won't be ideal. I have 6yo in a booster, 4 year old front facing in frontier, and 2 yo front facing in a boulevard, new baby will be in a keyfit 30. It has captains chairs in middle
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khaag27

New member
Also, you don't NEED to tether with a seatbelt install correct? In my husbands excursion we do all seat belt installs, but we are using the tether with the frontier even though ds is only 35lbs
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littleangelfire

Well-known member
Also, you don't NEED to tether with a seatbelt install correct? In my husbands excursion we do all seat belt installs, but we are using the tether with the frontier even though ds is only 35lbs
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In the US most seats don't require use of tether with seatbelt, no, though frontier does above a certain weight and it's highly recommended on all forward facing seats. It reduces how far the child's head goes forward in an accident.

Your vehicle search sounds exactly like mine a year ago. And so do the responses of minivan! Minivan! Guess what? Ended up with a minivan despite the fact I really don't like them. Why? Because it made absolutely no financial or logical sense to get anything else :shrug: Third row access in SUVs is a pain in the neck if done on a daily basis as you would with four kids. Most suvs have very little cargo room with all three rows up, save the big ones like suburban, excursion is one of the big ones, right? The gas mileage is atrocious. They're not as car seat friendly. And the sales price point is higher. So...we got a Sienna. I still feel like a dork and I miss my manual transmission compact car but comes with the territory of 3+ kids, I guess. Though I know we do have one member here who loves her suv and I think she's got 4 or 5 kids.
 

khaag27

New member
In the US most seats don't require use of tether with seatbelt, no, though frontier does above a certain weight and it's highly recommended on all forward facing seats. It reduces how far the child's head goes forward in an accident. Your vehicle search sounds exactly like mine a year ago. And so do the responses of minivan! Minivan! Guess what? Ended up with a minivan despite the fact I really don't like them. Why? Because it made absolutely no financial or logical sense to get anything else :shrug: Third row access in SUVs is a pain in the neck if done on a daily basis as you would with four kids. Most suvs have very little cargo room with all three rows up, save the big ones like suburban, excursion is one of the big ones, right? The gas mileage is atrocious. They're not as car seat friendly. And the sales price point is higher. So...we got a Sienna. I still feel like a dork and I miss my manual transmission compact car but comes with the territory of 3+ kids, I guess. Though I know we do have one member here who loves her suv and I think she's got 4 or 5 kids.

I do like the look of the Sienna, just making the jump to a mini van idk. Lol You are correct the excursion is huge suv, but we wanted something big that can fit us all for camping and hauling. This vehicle would be my main driver, I won't constantly have all 6 of us in it, unless we go on a day trip or something. I just want something better on gas for me that I can take a few kids in or less.

We looked at the Mazda5 tonight and I do like them, however there is badly any cargo room but I'm know to just bring a diaper bag so I don't think it will be a huge issue with me. The traverse is out for me now, just too hard to load everyone in, no back adjusting headrests, and I liking sliding doors like the Mazda has :) The siennas are pretty expensive though even used, so I'm thinking the Mazda5 might be the way to go maybe for me?

Thank you.
 

littleangelfire

Well-known member
I do like the look of the Sienna, just making the jump to a mini van idk. Lol You are correct the excursion is huge suv, but we wanted something big that can fit us all for camping and hauling. This vehicle would be my main driver, I won't constantly have all 6 of us in it, unless we go on a day trip or something. I just want something better on gas for me that I can take a few kids in or less.

We looked at the Mazda5 tonight and I do like them, however there is badly any cargo room but I'm know to just bring a diaper bag so I don't think it will be a huge issue with me. The traverse is out for me now, just too hard to load everyone in, no back adjusting headrests, and I liking sliding doors like the Mazda has :) The siennas are pretty expensive though even used, so I'm thinking the Mazda5 might be the way to go maybe for me?

Thank you.

Our 2006 sienna eight seater ,(more expensive than 7 seater) was $9k-ish last October. I love the Mazda 5 but if you need all the seats a lot of the time it's kind of a pain. The cargo space is referred to as the rear glove box. It's that tiny. So much so you're hard pressed to fit groceries. And money wise it was more expensive. They sell like mad so it seems they can be harder to find. Not that I'm trying to convince you to go minivan, just sharing what we went through last year as it was exactly the same. I still look longingly when I see the two Mazda 5s that live down the street but try to make myself feel better that it's easier getting my kids in and out of the sienna and as a bonus we have extra room for tag alongs, the dogs, groceries, luggage...And 16 cupholders.

For perspective, if you feel funny considering a minivan, picture this: we made the lap and now my good friend, mom to 7, is working on convincing me we may need to check out 12 seaters soon, lol. That is something I can't quite swallow yet. But give me another kid and I might consider it. We'll have 3 full time in December when the baby is born, 4 every other weekend, up from just my son and me two and a half years ago.I've had to make these jumps very quickly, lol! But I've never regretted the move to the minivan.
 

khaag27

New member
Our 2006 sienna eight seater ,(more expensive than 7 seater) was $9k-ish last October. I love the Mazda 5 but if you need all the seats a lot of the time it's kind of a pain. The cargo space is referred to as the rear glove box. It's that tiny. So much so you're hard pressed to fit groceries. And money wise it was more expensive. They sell like mad so it seems they can be harder to find. Not that I'm trying to convince you to go minivan, just sharing what we went through last year as it was exactly the same. I still look longingly when I see the two Mazda 5s that live down the street but try to make myself feel better that it's easier getting my kids in and out of the sienna and as a bonus we have extra room for tag alongs, the dogs, groceries, luggage...And 16 cupholders. For perspective, if you feel funny considering a minivan, picture this: we made the lap and now my good friend, mom to 7, is working on convincing me we may need to check out 12 seaters soon, lol. That is something I can't quite swallow yet. But give me another kid and I might consider it. We'll have 3 full time in December when the baby is born, 4 every other weekend, up from just my son and me two and a half years ago.I've had to make these jumps very quickly, lol! But I've never regretted the move to the minivan.

The 16 cup holders totally made me lol. Dh and I had a long talk last night and while him and I love the look of the mazda5, we decided if we went with that we would always probably feel we should have went with a full mini van. I do want to take trips together and his excursion just isn't going to cut it has wise for family trips and stuff. He thinks I've hit my head or something lol but we are coming around to the idea and since my kids are still so young, I would like to have that extra cargo space no matter how uncool I'm going to feel.

I love the look of the newer style sienna, I'm not totally sure on the Honda, now with buying used.. What's years should I be looking for? I heard some are better than others for issues they had and such?
 

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