Need a secondary seat for under $100

Teagan is 3, 27 pounds and about 37 inches, I think. Sh's definitely on the petite side. She FF in a Nautilus in my car and she will be FF in DH's car as well. The seat will be outboard in a 2006 Ford Fusion.

Now that we have the Bodyguard for Kaylie, I need to get my butt in gear and get a seat for Teagan. She saw the orange and black Scenera and is begging for that because she loves everything orange . But, I have a hard time spending $60ish for a Scenera and I can't seem to find that pattern anywhere cheaper. The Scenera is not my first choice, but it's OK for what it is. She'll be in the seat about once or twice a week for a 15-20 minute drive from school to home.

I've already had a Scenera, but used it RF and didn't like it as a RF seat. DH says he can live with it FF though. We had an Uptown as well and while I liked it better than the Scenera because of the extra padding, she didn't. She far prefered the Scenera for some reason.

Since she's such a lightweight, I am fine with a 40 pound limit. She's pretty evenly proportioned, more leg than torso but only marginally so, so I would prefer a seat with higher top slots.

What other options are out there? I thought about the Cargo because originally the issue was DH having to install and uninstall the seats on a daily or semi-daily basis. But, since we now have the BG for Kaylie, that can come out and Teagan's seat can stay installed leaving DH enough room to transport another 2 passengers with no issue. I would never use the Cargo as a booster and really would prefer a seat that does not convert to a booster.

Any other options I'm missing? I need to stay under $100 and the cheaper the better, but obviously safety is the first concern.

Only the Safety First Avenue, which is 80 dollars, about 16" top slots. The Cargo, though has taller top slots and IMO is a nicer seat if you intend to keep her FF.

Any opinions on the Chase or the Triumph?

Didn't think of the Chase, the harness height is about equivalent to the Avenue, I think. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is a very nice seat, but it's over 100.

Maedze said:

Didn't think of the Chase, the harness height is about equivalent to the Avenue, I think. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is a very nice seat, but it's over 100.

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I'm ok with the harness height of the scenera or avenue - she's got plenty of room to grow in either of those. I just wish that orange scenera was better padded and NOT $60.

I hate the EFTA. I've tried really hard to love it, but I can't deal with the knobs. They irritate the hell out of me.

ETA - I just realized, I didn't mean the Triumph. I meant the Tribute. Sorry, my brain is shutting down for the night.

I have an Avenue in my sitters car and love it. Of course I love my Britax's more, but the Avenue is a great seat for under $100!

If you plan to FF, you could get a chase or cargo, but just plan to never use it in booster mode, since they don't position well. But they have highish slots and 40 lb limit. DD rode FFing in a chase clone and we liked it. The generations is nice also, you can get it for $100. has little side wings.
but my number one choice for a FFing seat under $100, if you are okay with a 40 lb limit and mid-height slots, would be an old alpha omega elite. they are $99 to be had all over online and big lots,and are really nice, comfy, lots of bum room, REALLY well padded, EPP/EPS foam, lotys of super cute patterns, really nice seats. Just shop around and read carefully, and double check model numbers on dorels site...some have EPP/EPS and some do not. something like this
http://www.babyage.com/products/22456bvl_safety_1st_alpha_omega_elite_convertible_car_seat.htm
be careful - off al the AOE's on the site, this was the only one with the protech foam!

amy919 said:

Any opinions on the Chase....

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I have a Vision (Chase clone) at my parents' house and at Christmas I tried my very similarly sized almost 4 yr old in it. She fit fairly well, although she didn't actually end up riding in it.

I actually kind of considered this one for my DD when I was replacing her RA.

I'm happier with the Radian I think for a primary seat, but with the addition of EPS foam and at that price, the Chase definitely isn't a bad choice for a spare. I rather like the on harness adjuster and the two of my kids who have actually used the Vision have fit well and liked it. I don't remember how high the slots actually are, but I know my younger DS fit in the harness until he was about 5.5. He's my other small kid and hit 40lbs right at 6.

Hhhmmm..my dd rode in a vision from the time she was just under 2, to 3.5 yo, and she fit REALLY well in it. She was about 32 pounds that entire time. I'll try to hunt up a pic...