convertible for 02 Subaru impreza/WRX wagon

hi, thanks for reading. I have been browsing and seen all sorts of complaints that my car is difficult to install a RFing seat in the middle. I currently have a SS1 installed in the middle (RF of course) and it fits fine because it juts slightly into the front between the front seats. It is tight to get in/out but other than that I have no issues with it's size or the seatbelt installation on our middle "hump." I does not touch the front seats by much, if at all.

I am shopping for a convertible to transition my son into, I like the idea of RF tethering available on the Britaxes (is that the right plural? Britaxei? Britaxs?) but I have no RF tether point built in, is this something I could fix- short of having something welded onto my car?

Are there seats I should not bother with (our short list is EFTA, TF, MA or Decathalon) because of our car? I understand that the TF ARB is coming out soon but I am not sure about that working in my car because not only does the middle have a hump on the seat bottom, it also humps out at the backrest portion of the bench seat.

Also, by the looks of it the Decathalon has the well-regarded button harness adjuster that people love on the RA, so we were thinking Decathalon rather than MA- is it worth the extra $?

My Subaru Outback sport is a year older than yours and has a very flat backseat, but I have a lot of installation problems because I have very long buckle stalks, particularly the center seat. I had my SnugRide in the center at first and though it physically fit well, I definitely had an inch of movement or more so we moved it outboard. The only seat I've owned so far that's been compatible with my center belt is the Nautilus. It's also a painfully small backseat, but I've had no problems installing a Marathon RF outboard.

Your body style is different than mine and has different seat belts. A friend has one similar to yours and his belt stalks are much shorter, so that may explain why you didn't have as much difficulty. The seat hump may be a challenge with a Marathon, but you'll have to try it to see. I know a lot of people had problems with sticky adjusters on the Decathlon, but I've never owned one, so I can't comment too much on that.

I can't speak as to which seat might fit best in your car, but I'd cross the Decathlon off your list. It only rear-faces to 33 pounds versus the 35 pounds of the other seats you like. Plus, the PP is right about it having a reputation for having a sticky harness adjuster.

IME, Britax convertibles are among the easiest to install in humpy Subarus.

bree said:

I can't speak as to which seat might fit best in your car, but I'd cross the Decathlon off your list. It only rear-faces to 33 pounds versus the 35 pounds of the other seats you like. Plus, the PP is right about it having a reputation for having a sticky harness adjuster.

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The Britax website says the decathalon goes to 35# RFing.

http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/decathlon/

maybe the older version only went to 33? It is the same shell as the MA so I assume the technical functioning is the same.

Unregistered said:

The Britax website says the decathalon goes to 35# RFing.

http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/decathlon/

maybe the older version only went to 33? It is the same shell as the MA so I assume the technical functioning is the same.

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Oh, good to know that they finally upped the limit. They changed the weight limit in early 2008 on the Marathon and Boulevards, but hadn't changed the weight limit for the Decathlons at that time. I tried to call Britax to find out when the change occurred for the Decathlon so I could get a date of manufacture for you to be on the lookout for if you do decide to go for the Decathlon, but unfortunately the customer rep didn't understand the issue I was asking about.