Question To get a new seat, or not.

mommy2jasmine

New member
We currently have a Britax Boulevard CS. (We had the money, and decided to spend it, even though we knew the problems with the CS feature)

But, it doesn't go to 40 lbs like other seats do, and I know for a fact, that to get my daughter to the age I want her to, before I let her decide if she wants to turn around, I will need a 40 lb RF seat. (Age 4, if you were wondering). I always suspected she would hit 35 sometime between 3-3.5 and be at 40 around 4-4.5, and with the way she is continuing to grow, that still seems to be the case. I also got an estimate from one of the techs on here who has that program who can figure out when, and it confirmed what I always sort of knew.

So, this is the idea I've been toying around with in my head, and talking to my husband about. Tell me what you guys think, and be honest. Brutal even. I can take it. I just want what's best for my DD and, of course, save money.

I've been looking into a Radian, probably the XT, because of the SIP. I read that side impact crashes take up 25% of all crashes, so I feel it's important to have those. That is why we chose the BLVD and not the Marathon. Same reason I will be more than likely choosing the XT, rather than the 65. I realize that they aren't yet putting stickers on the seats, saying that they are "OK" for RF use to 40, so I will wait until I can get a seat which has them on there. I also heard they will be testing past that initial 40 in the coming months. If this is the case, are they testing the same seat, or designing a new one to test? (I guess that's kind of off my current topic. I ramble. Bare with me). . .

So, my thought is this. My seat's DOM is 09/08. It's in great condition. The Harness was replaced, and I'm getting new LATCH too, that they are sending because of some fraying. The cover is free of any flaws, but it's not the cutest thing you've ever seen. How much do you think I can get out of it, if I sold it this fall? Because, that's my thought... I am thinking I will sell this seat, and use that money to buy a new Radian (with stickers at least to 40lbs). Does that make sense? I feel like if I wait until she is older and get a seat then so she can RF for 5+ more lbs, then I will not be able to sell her BLVD for as much, and I'll be out more money that way. If I got something like the Radian in a year to keep her RF longer, I would ultimately use that seat for her FF too, because of all it's amazing features that I don't get with my Britax, and we don't need two seats like that. We only have one car, and only will have one car for awhile. No kids to be had in the future either. I have a back-up Scenera for emergencies...

What I love about the Radian, that I am considering it for is, for starters, the RF limit of 40 lbs. I also love that it is so travel friendly. This is important to me, because since my daughter has been born we have flown upwards of 15 times. That isn't 15 trips, although it sure feels like it, but go there, 1, come back, 1. That doesn't include changing planes, either. We travel a lot, to say the least, and her Britax is kind of a pain to lug around, when it's just her and me. And it always is just her and me. I am going to Oregon next week, and will be taking her seat with, but we are going AGAIN to Oregon in Oct. so I am hoping to do this whole switch up before then. I know what cars we will be using this in, and they are all compatible. I have checked :)

So, what do you think?

Thanks in advance!:confused:
 
ADS

Pixels

New member
Pros to using Radian instead of Boulevard:
RF to 40 pounds instead of 35
More travel friendly when carrying through airport

Cons to using Radian instead of Boulevard:
RFing angle is annoying
Probably can't be used RFing on plane, which means moving harness straps up for FFing on plane then back down again for RFing in car
$

What happens if/when Oregon peeps get a new vehicle? What if the Radian isn't compatible with new vehicle?

If you're going to switch, I agree that sooner rather than later makes sense. You'll get more for your BV, and you don't need to worry about passing the Radian down to future kids/expiration.

I just realized that kids who RF to the 40 pound limit in a Radian won't use the SafeStop, since that comes off at 40. Huh.
 

myliljunebugs

New member
I would do it, but I get bored easily with car seats (the only seat that will be kept to expiration that I have is probably the Regent LOL). Plus the RF'ing to 40lbs is invaluable IMO. I would be doing it right now, somehow, if DD was under 40lbs
 

mommy2jasmine

New member
Thanks!

That was one thing I did think about, that would sort of set us back, which is the fact that I don't really know if/when others will get a new car. I mean, I pretty much know that my dad won't be getting new ones soon, because they just got new ones within the lat few years, and my mom just doesn't have the money to be getting anything other than what she has, and same with my dh's side of the family. So, at least for a few years we're good, and that will get us through RF.

Thank you for the Pro/Con list. It really puts it into perspective. Thankfully, from my perspective, those cons are hardly cons when it comes to the seat. I would never deal with that crap in a car seat like the Scenera, AOE, or any other crappy seat, but in this case they are all worth it to me.

I think I'll be going with it, though. Thanks for your input!

Oh, and to Jessica, I am like you, too. I get bored easily with car seats. We've had 4 already :p, but I keep getting better and better seats, so maybe when I get this seat I'll be done... *crosses fingers*

If I went ahead and tried selling her Boulevard in the next few months, what should the list price be for it? I'm guessing my best bet is to try here and on CL right? And for shipping, how much will it cost? If, for example, I sold it for 100 (not likely, but just throwing out a number) on craigslist, how much would I list it for here if I included the shipping in the price? Or, do I just list it here with the same price, then calculate shipping costs when someone plans to purchase it?
 

myliljunebugs

New member
It sells for around $300 right? The rule of thumb is that you sell it by taking total price new /number of years good for x number of years left. So basically 300/6x5=250. Try to sell locally so you don't have to worry about shipping :)

If you don't have to worry about them changing cars til she is forward facing I would wait until it becomes an issue and then worry about getting something like the Nautilus for travelling
 

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