Help me choose a new car!!

annamc

New member
Hi! I was wondering if I could get you guys' advice here a little bit... I need to buy a new car. I have two kids (5.5 year old 60 pounder in a Britax Husky and 2.5 year old 35 pounder in a Britax Wizard). I want something big enough to haul around dogs, stroller, kid stuff, etc, plus occasional carpool, so I'm hoping for 6+ seats.

I currently have a Volvo XC90, which I like, but it just feels HUGE to me.

I am looking at a Volvo XC70... and I would probably get the dealer-installed 3rd row rear facing seats. Big question is, how safe are these? They wouldn't be for NORMAL use, but nice to have available when we carpool or when we have guests or whatever. Can you put a carseat or a booster seat back there? How safe are these seats?

I think if these seats are ok safety-wise, I'd rather get this car than a minivan, but I'd definitely look at minivans, too. I think I'd like to stay under maybe $50K, and I want all the bells and whistles (nav system, dvd player, etc, leather seats, etc).

Any suggestions for me? Is the Volvo rear facing seat option a safe one? If not, which other cars should I look for? I looked at the new Audi SUV and the Mercedes R-class, and they were both REALLY nice, but a bit out of my price range, plus they are major gas guzzlers! :)

Any other hot tips? i want safe safe safe!!

Thanks a ton!
Anna
 
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Lys

Senior Community Member
I am recently in LOVE with my new Honda Pilot. It's not huge feeling, seats 8. You'd have no problem installing the seats you have and the 3rd row can be folded down for dogs, strollers etc.
It's has a 5 star safety rating from the IIHS and is also rated under 100 on the http://www.informedforlife.org/ site.
It has ABS, stability control w/ rollover sensor, side airbags all the way back to the 3rd row. It drives like a dream, not too bad on gas ( about 20 mpg) and a fully loaded one would be around $35k
HTH
 

Dawn

New member
Yes the rear facing seats in the volvo are very safe! I asked about this myself about 3 years ago when we went to buy an older Volvo wagon. They do have weight limits and can not be used with child safety seats or boosters.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
As long as they're a Volvo manufactured & installed product then it's fine :) & RF is great for all passengers who fit -- just remember that carseats can only be installed in regular FF vehicle seats ;)
 

annamc

New member
Thanks so much for the info. Of course, the volvo dealer didn't HAVE any cars with the rear facing 3rd row seats already installed for me to look at... so they will install them AFTER I buy the car. Grrr! I want to see them before I buy it! :)

If you can't use any boosters or carseats in the rear facing row, are the seats and seatbelts OK for small kids? My daughter is 2.5 and is 35ish pounds and my son is 5.5 and 60ish pounds. Would he be OK in a rear facing seat? Are they basically the same size as for a kid in a booster? He can easily do a booster now (though I keep him in a Britax Husky normally) but my daughter is probably too small for a booster at this point.

Thanks!
Anna
 

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