Looking for new 8 passenger vehicle

Come fall, I will have me neices and nephew along with my two soon to be three kids 5 days a week. Looking for something to fit six carseats in as I will have 4 five who are four and under as well as a four year old.

Here are the stats on the kids:

D - 4yr 2mon old, 42lbs height unknown, Graco Turbo Booster (back and no back)

A - 3yr 6mon old, 31lbs 37in 14.5 in torso height, Nautilus

C - 2yr 4mon old, 23lb height about same as L, FF Cosco High Back Booster with Harness (Parents refuse to RF her, but she will be in my vehicle in a scenera)

L - 2yr 2mon old, 24lb 34in 11in torso, RF Cosco Scenera

G - 6mon old, 15.5lbs height unknown, RF Graco Snugride

B - Due Nov 2009 Either Graco Snug Ride or Cosco Scenera

What sort of budget are you looking to stay within?

christineka said:

What sort of budget are you looking to stay within?

Click to expand...

I have no idea right now, just started looking. Just really looking at getting opinions as to what type of vehicle will fit all 6 car seats in it. All the ones I have seen recently are really tight and there is no way it will fit.

Do you want a van or an SUV?

I know for sure you can fit all those seats in an Armada (SUV) or a Sienna (van)

I currently have a 7 passenger van, technically that would work, but MI law now says all under 4 must be in the back seat, which would leave the one in a booster in the front in front of an air bag and I do not like that at all. And there is now way anyone would believe he is only three even if I tried to pass it off as that since is like the size of a 6yr old height and weight he is at the 98% for height and weight for his age. He is just a big boy. I know ideally my DD (A) in the harnessed seat would be safest there if I had to, but if I get pulled over she is so small I could never pass her off as four either. She is at the 3-5% for her age in weight and 50% for height. There is an air bag there so no RF would work. The state cops around here are not big on best practices either. When I went to a car seat check ran by them a few months ago the guy and gal that checked my seats (both who were techs I have since checked) both scowled at me for still having my 2yr old (L) RF. It was like I was doing something wrong by ERF. He is only 24-25lbs and has three inches left above his head and I have no intentions of turning him until he out grows his seat. His sister is almost 3.5 and I just turned her shortly after her 3rd BD since she outgrew her seat in height.

My biggest fear with vehicles is 4 RF seats and getting them all in fitting ok and all. I know the infants will have to be in the 2nd row in my current vehicle since I can not get a proper recline for and infant in the third row, but I can get enough recline for the older RF kids.

Actually, it's completely legal for an under-4 year old in a Ffing seat to ride in the front, IF all rear seats are already occupied by other under-4s....here is a cut and paste from the law.
***Under the newly revised law, children younger than four must ride in a car seat in the rear seat of the vehicle if the vehicle has a back seat. If all available rear seats are occupied by children under four, then a child under four may ride in the front seat if properly restrained in a car seat***

So, put A in the front.

I know that I was just stating that the one in the booster who is already 4 according to the law would thus have to be in the front as all others are under four, I was not comfortable with. I would rather have a harnessed seat there for safety with the air bag for safety reasons. My other issue is figuring the Nautilus in the back row with two other seats being it is so wide.

I was told by my local police dept according to the new law, being (D) is the oldest and is already 4 he would legally have to be the one in the front.

ah gotcha...can you put the 4 yo in the nauti in the front seat, and put A in a smnaller harnessed seat in the back, like a /cosco highback/cargo/chase...even a scenera would work for a while!?

What van do you have? Could you swap benches to add one more seating position? If you can figure some way to not put a kid up front I would do that.

Swaping benches will do me nothing but leave me a 5 passenger vehicle instead of seven. The second row double bench will not go in the third row, just does not physically fit, besides either way I still have 5 rear seats and six kids.

I have an 2001 Dodge Caravan. (Yes one of the nicer ones with five tether spots and four latch hook ups!)

Here is the set up front row two bucket seats

Second Row double bench

Third Row Triple bench, which has wide armrests along side it.


Car seats to figure in to it, 1-Nautilus, 1- HHB, 1-cosco highback with harness, 2-scenera, and 1-graco snugride.

I absolutely need one scenera and one snugride for the two babies.

D & A will both only fit in their respective seats due to height / weight issues with the others. I possibly might have use of one more scenera (possibly)

I meant to find another 3 seater bench and put it where your 2 seater bench is. I think you can swap with that model. Not sure though. I did it with my aerostar. It wasn't super comfy or anything, but it was better than having to buy a new vehicle when I couldn't afford one.

So this has finally been settled. My mom bought a new van (which is almost identical to mine) The seats are interchangeable. So if I ever need and 8 passenger for a few days, I can swap my double bench and her triple bench. Leaving mine an 8 passenger and hers a 6 passenger for a few days and then swap back.

But heck my mom needed a new vehicle, hers barely ran or started, and it was falling apart I hated letting my kids ride in it!

Oh well if hers only has three tether anchors, since if i have all six kids only one will be FF! And he will be in a HB booster and not need it anyways!

I'm still confused about why the 4YO has to be in a booster rather than a harnessed seat.