car seat advice needed

I need help choosing new car seat(s) for my children. Money is definitely an issue, which is part of my problem.
Here's the details:
2 Children:
#1: DD 2/11/03 (almost 4), 33lbs, ~40"
#2: DS 2/21/06 (9 months), 20 lbs, 28.5"
Vehicle: Pontiac Montana '00, DS is in the middle of the second row, DD in on the side of the back row.

Currently DS is still in his infant seat, so he really needs a new seat now since it's only rated to 20 lbs. DD is FF in an Evenflo Triumph which is rated ff to 40 lbs. I was originally going to move DS to the Triumph and get a booster for DD.

In researching, I've realized that I really should keep dd in a 5-pt harness for a while yet, so now I was thinking about getting her something that she could use for a while with harness and then convert to booster. I was looking at the Apex, but have concerns about it fitting our vehicle. Her position does have a head rest, but I'm not sure if it angles, and the only place I can find it available online right now is albeebaby and I've heard horrible things about their return policy. I don't think we can afford anything Britax. The FP Safe Voyager also looks interesting, but it doesn't turn into a booster. Not critical, as I could pass it down to DS and get DD a turbobooster when that time comes... I'm not sure I need to worry about harnessing past 40 lbs with DD as she's a bit on the small side, but DS is on the tops of the charts and if I pass it down to him later, I'll probably need the higher limit. (I'm having problems finding anything available online right now--everything seems to be sold out, just in time for Christmas?? What local stores can I check? Our TRU is a bit of a drive, but I'd do it if I knew they had what I wanted.)

The more reading I do, the more confused I get and now I'm even starting to wonder if we should just replace both seats as I haven't seen any recommendations for the Triumph (which I thought was decent when I bought it 3 years ago), but we really can't afford two seats right now.

Am I missing any car seat options? Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
--Julie

Does Target.com carry the Apex? You can order online and return in-store if it doesn't work.

Where are your dd's shoulders in relation to the top slots on the Triumph? That will give us an idea of torso height, which will help narrow down seat choices.

But off the top of my head, budget being a concern and ds needing out of his infant seat ASAP, I'd move ds to the Triumph for now, rear-facing of course, and get something new for dd. You mention weight not really being an issue for her, but probably will be with ds. I'd not worry about a seat that turns into a booster, then. I'd do what you mentioned at the end--get a seat that harnesses to a higher weight that will work for dd for a couple of years and then pass it down to ds. He'll get 4-ish years out of it, that way, and be about 6ish when it expires or he gets too big.

The Safe Voyage Deluxe is almost exactly like a Britax Marathon, but only harnesses to 55 pounds. It has the same top slot height, which is usually the deciding factor in when a seat is outgrown. When a child's shoulders go over the top slots they are too tall for the seat. Most kids will outgrow a Safe Voyage Deluxe or a Britax Marathon around 45-55 pounds because they are too tall.

I would also consider a Sunshine Kids Radian because it has taller top slots than the other two seats I mentioned, and the 65 pound weight limit. It will last longer for the bigger kid.

The Safe Voyage Deluxe can be found for about $160, I think. Make sure it's the Deluxe, though. The regular version only goes to 40 pounds. The Radian can be found for $180.

The Apex would work as well, especially since you have vehicle headrests. And it's the most cost-effective seat. The top slots are a smidge higher than a Marathon, a bit lower than a Radian. A trick if your headrests get in the way, if they are removeable you can just turn them around backwards.

One last thought--rear-facing is so much safer than forward-facing, and your Triumph only goes to 30 pounds RF with a very short seat shell. If you can, I would strongly consider replacing it with a $40 Cosco Scenera. It has a much taller seat shell and a 35 pound rear-facing weight limit.

The Triumph used to come highly recommended because it had such nice features, EPS foam and very cushy...but the downfalls make it not one I recommend at all now. It has a very short seat shell and too low of a rear-facing weight limit. Those things alone are enough to cross it off my list of seats to recommend.

What Jenny said.
Put your baby in the Triumph now. For what it is, it IS a good seat. But it just doesn't RF long enough (weight or height, my son was too tall before his first birthday, though we didn't own one and that was only in store trying out). FF it's decent though, because the top slots are high for a 40 pound seat.
For your daughter, the FPSVD would work fine, or an Evenflo Generations too. That's a 40 pound limit that converts to a nice booster (no side impact protection, but still a decent booster). Since it'll probably be another year or more before she is 40 pounds, and the top slots are much higher, that might work best for you.
OR for best long term savings, you could get a Safety 1st Intera now for your daughter, and use it until your son outgrows the Triumph RF, then let him use it. It can be bought for under $100 and though it's not without it's quirks, it has a high RF weight limit AND tall top slots, almost unheard of in that price range. Once your son is in that, you could then evaluate what your daughter needs and compare it to what is on the market at that time.

I agree with Jenny.
I would move ds into the triumph and get a new seat for dd. I like the fact that the Radian has the high harness slots, so if it works in your van and you can afford it, I think it would be a great seat. You would even be able to pass it down to ds when he outgrow the triumph and get dd a dedicated booster!

Also did I read somewhere that someone got a MA for 219.99? If so, would that be an option for you? or out of your price range?

Here's a MA for 209.99 with free ground shipping
http://www.specialtybaby.com/br20macocars9.html

Here's a Radian for 179.99
http://www.specialtybaby.com/sukiracarsec1.html

And a fisher price safe voyage for 149.99
http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/97340/SafeVoyageDeluxeConvertibleCarSeat.html

Having a 33lb almost 4 yr old who still fits in a Triumph gives you lots of options.

If your dd is generally cooperative in the car (i.e. will be ready for a booster soon) and has at least an inch left between her shoulders and the Triumph's top slots, I recommend buying a Scenera (~$40) for your ds now and then buy a dedicated booster (Parkway (~$80 on sale), Turbobooster (~$50)) in about a year when dd outgrows the Triumph. Unless you plan on harnessing dd past age 5, I don't think you need a high weight seat now. You'll probably get more bang for your buck with whatever new high weight seat options are available by the time ds needs one.

The Apex sounds like it should also work very well for your situation. If you order from Target.com you can return in store. If I were you I would probably order from Albee Baby (because their sale price is so low) and plan on selling it rather than returning it if it just doesn't work.

You could also get the Evenflo Generations since it could be used for dd for a yr or more harnessed and converts to a nice booster.

If you have a little more money, another nice option would be buying a Radian now for dd and then passing it down and getting a booster when ds needs it to keep RF.

Thank you very much for all your help everyone!! I talked to DH and we've decided to get the FPSVD (that's pretty much the same as a Marathon, right?) for DD and move DS to the Triumph. Then when DD is ready for a booster and DS outgrows the Triumph rear-facing, we'll get dd a booster and switch ds to the FPSVD rf. DH really didn't like the idea of buying another seat for DS, even at $40 (even when I pitched it as the Apex for $100 and the Scenera for $40 = less than the FPSVD...) but this way I can still keep ds rf longer and get them both where they need to be now.
I was able to find the FPSVD at albeebaby for $150--and that seems to be almost the only place that has it in stock. Everywhere else is backordered 'til later this month sometime.

Thanks again. I feel much better about this now.
--Julie

Yes the MA and the FPSVD are pretty much the same seat with a few differences. The FPSVD has a ff weight of 55lbs and doesn't tether rf. But they are both made by Britax and are pretty much the same shell.

Have fun with your new seat!

I think those are great choices for your situation. Let us know when you get the seats!

I just wanted to add that I think the Triumph is a very nice rear facing seat. It is very cushy and it is easy to get a good recline angle without a noodle. My DS rear faced in his Triumph until he was 2, and he is right around the 50% mark on all of the charts, just to give you an idea (and he outgrew it by height, but he was still only 27 lbs), so then I switched him to a Britax so that he could rear face longer. I'm sure you'll be very happy with the FPSVD for DD and the Triumph rear facing for DS.

stayinhomewithmy3--your ds must have been all legs and no torso. Really, it has an incredibly short seat shell for rear-facing, and the head must always be contained within the shell. Once the head becomes even with the top of the shell RF is outgrown.

Other than that downfall, the Triumph is a nice seat. If they could redesign it to give it a taller seat shell and maybe up the rear-facing weight limit by a few pounds I'd recommend it all the time.