[2000Z-71]

Well I finally tried fitting the car seat in the Camaro, it only took me a month after our daughter was born to try it, it doesn't fit! In Arizona, kids have to be in a rearward facing car seat until they are past 1 year old. Does anybody know of a rearward facing child seat that will fit in the back seat of an f-body?

[sgarnett]

I never found a good rear-facing seat. They protrude so far forward that the front seat becomes unusable. The frames are huge, and to get them at the right angle in our seats you have to put a towel under the rear, which raises them even higher. As you may have noticed, even when fully upright your front seats still lean back. We just didn't use my car for kid-hauling during the first year.

When my daughter was almost a year old, I bought a front-facing seat that was one of the largest available but actually fit the rear mini-buckets better than most other seats. It almost resembles a racing seat more than a child seat. I don't remember the brand, but the model was "Husky". I'll try to remember to check the brand on the tag.

[2000Z-71]

Unfortunately I need to solve the problem or get another vehicle. With the demise of our truck, we're down to 2 vehicles and we need both to be able to put a child seat in. I just tried taking out the bottom seat cushion and installing the child seat directly on the floor. It gained me a couple of inches but not enough. I'm going to go out looking for child seats to see if I can find something that fits. I really don't want to go car shopping.

[sgarnett]

BTW, one option I seriously considered was removing the rear seats and seatback and bolting a child seat to the floor. That would have required fabricating some brackets and/or a sturdy mounting platform, which of course should be highly over-engineered (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Jeff97FST/A]

We have one of the Eddie Bauer travel systems. The seat base and car seat fit, but as has been pointed out, the front seat becomes almost useless. I've only had my daughter in the Trans Am once, I don't think she's too sure of it yet!

We put and keep the seat in my wife's Saab 900 ('86 vintage) We still have issues with sitting in the front seat, but it's tolerable. No "new" cars in our foreseeable future (knock on wood), so her aging Saab is gonna have to last a little while longer.

If you do find something, report back (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif)

Sean, if you do find a name for the front-facing seat, that would be appreciated too. I guess for now I'll reserve using the car seat in the Trans Am for father-daughter outings on some twisty roads.

[Ojustracing]

How about putting the Kids in the front seat and the wife in the back. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/whip.gif)

I never tried putting a rearward facing seat in the back of my car. I know with the roll, cage and the seat angle of them they are not going to fit and be able to use the front seat. I do have my daughter in the back I removed the rear seat and bought a aftermarket seat belt and had it attached to the anchor points on the floor. I do have her in the front but I make sure the airbags are disconnected. She likes the go Cruising with dad. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/cool2.gif) With another one on the way I don't know what im going to do about having anewborn in the car. Later John

[beuke23]

We used an Evenflo that a friend given us. I don't think they make 'em anymore. It fits, though as stated, the front seat becomes useless, so my wife always sits in the back. But she's small, so she can deal with it.

The Camaro is our only car, so I'm glad it worked. Then when it came time to buy the forward facing seat (2 months ago), I was worried none would fit, and I asked the reps at Babies R Us if I can return the seat if the one I picked didn't fit (you can). Fortunately the one I picked (after taking measurements) fit (it's Cosco Alpha Omega 3-in-1 - $100).

Going back to rear facing seat, unless your wife could sit in the back somewhat comfortably, I don't think there's one small enough...

Aria

[2000Z-71]

Well I went over to Babies R Us Monday afternoon to try car seats. I hauled every single seat they had one by one out of the store, across the parking lot to the car, test fit and back into the store. There were a couple that fit, but they leave they front seat completely and totally useless. Then I get attitude from the manager, "You're just going to have to grow up and get a real car, my father had to get rid of his Corvette when I came along..." I wasn't in the mood and responded, "And I bet there's not a day that goes by that he doesn't regret not pulling out."

So then I went to test fit with other cars and the seat we have. The Pontiac GTO is just as bad if not worse than my Camaro and it's even more difficult to get the seat in and out of the back seat. It actually fits in a new Mustang, it's just in Phoenix there's a 6 month waiting list for GT coupes and 5k over sticker is the norm. It also fits in a G35 coupe, I'm just still in shock from the sticker price. The RX-8 is hopeless.

So it's either put up with the PITA for a few months and keep the vehicles we have, or I'm trading the Camaro for a new Silverado and the wife will get a G35 sedan. It might be kinda' fun to go beat up on BMW 3 series sedans in D stock...

[sgarnett]

As you said, it's a temporary situation. Once you get to the one year mark there are options. I wouldn't (and didn't) trade my car in just to get through the first year. It helps that I already have a pickup, but it's a big gas guzzler and not my daily driver, so it didn't do much baby hauling.

Compared to what you are going to spend on trading for something you don't really want, it would be cheaper to just buy a used Asian 4-door beater. You could probably sell it at the end of the year for close to what you paid unless you buy from a dealer.

However, the Pontic Grand Prix might be worth a look. The supercharged GTP version is no slouch, and they can be set up to turn fairly well. There was a guy kicking ass with one in ESP a few years ago here. Of course, the techniques he learned on that barge didn't transfer well to the RX7 twin turbo he bought later. I haven't driven the latest GP body style, but the previous version had a bunch of room. It was just about the only contemporary car I've driven (along with the Camaro) that had enough shoulder room. There's a bunch of leg room in the front and enough in the back (which few other cars can claim). There's also a supercharged Buick Regal version of the same car that I actually prefer the looks of. It hasn't been tarted up as much.

[2000Z-71]

We may have a solution! I looked at a new extended cab Silverado last night. GM is now offering Supplier Plan pricing to everyone on all new vehicles. Since I already get Supplier Plan, I get another 5% off from that. With the 3 grand rebate the price of the truck drops from 35k sticker to 26k. For the same monthly payment that I have now, I can trade my car for the Silverado and get a used LT-1 f-body that I can bolt all of the suspension upgrades from my car on. So it looks like I may be getting a new truck and still be able to play with a Camaro.

[Jeff97FST/A]

(IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif)

[zlexiss]

Then I get attitude from the manager, "You're just going to have to grow up and get a real car, my father had to get rid of his Corvette when I came along..." I wasn't in the mood and responded, "And I bet there's not a day that goes by that he doesn't regret not pulling out."

Sweet comeback! Glad you got the deal on the truck and will still be around racing an F-bod..

[sgarnett]

Sean, if you do find a name for the front-facing seat, that would be appreciated too. I guess for now I'll reserve using the car seat in the Trans Am for father-daughter outings on some twisty roads.

It's a Britax Husky. It looks huge, but fits remarkably well in the buckets.