Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

[CraziFuzzy]

Okay, some terrible ideas are going through my head regarding my 97 Crown Vic.. (namely, junking it with the CARS program... how's that for a convoluted use of a program designed to get 'gas guzzlers' off the road and drop oil use?)... Anyways, my concern is about the back seat room of the Civic. I have 2 toddlers, and the child seats certainly aren't small these days. Does anyone regularly pack their kids up in the back, and if so, how is it for space? Keep in mind this would be considerable downsizing from currently using an Expedition, Crown Vic, and Impala... I just have to know if we can live with the smaller space.

Also, does anyone think it wrong to junk a CNG with this program? I feel evil or something doing it, but really, I'm probably not going to be able to sell it for what the prez will junk it for, especially since the tanks have just over 2 years left on them.

Looking for some info out there... thanks...

Curtis... shoot me a PM if you think you can let me know some numbers... what better 'first drive' than a trip back home from Lancaster.. hehe

[Adrian]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

I regularly pack my 1 and 3 year old boys in the back of either my wife's or my '08 Civic. They fit just fine. The back bench of the Civic has LATCH anchor points, making in and out for car seat easy. I install the seats on the left and right side, leaving some room for diaper bags, etc in the middle.

The Civic GX has less emissions than your Crown Vic, so you are following the spirit of the program...lowering emissions.

[Curtis]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

The trip will only have to be as far as Palmdale. I can't even tell you how many people use their Civic's as family transport. It's a call you'll have to make for yourself though. If you want to make an exploratory road trip, I'll be back to work next weekend. I've been out since Friday the 24th for a surgery to try and recover some hearing in my left ear. I hate it when they mess with the inner ear. The good news is that I can now sit up without falling out of the chair, and you know no one will take care of you like I will when you buy a car here.


97 Crown Victoria
Natural Gas

15

City
18
Combined
23
Hwy

Compare to Official
EPA Window
Sticker MPG

It appears that the CV is an elligible candidate for the program, and given the limited time left on the tanks, current market value, etc... probably a smart move. You'll just have to get used to a little less space around you... and a lot better gas mileage.

[Beej]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

We used our '08 Civic as the family car for more than a year and did just fine until we were pleasantly surprised with #4. (It's a shame we can't get the Odyssey in NG.)

3 kids, 2 in car seats.

It was a little tight back there for all 3 but the new Civics are incredibly roomy and my 8 year old was very patient with her little brothers. You should be just fine with 2 car seats.

[Highmarker]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

I have a Cavalier, which has pretty close to the same space in the back seat if not exactly the same. I have fit 3 car seats (1 booster, 1 forward facing, and 1 infant carrier w/base) in the back seat. They are snug as bugs in rugs, but we get them in and out with no problem.

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

well, been furthuring my shopping the last few days for my CV/Impala replacement vehicle, and it looks like I may actually be going Diesel instead! My wife pretty much fell in love with the Jetta SportWagon, and it's hard to pass up the TDI option ($1,300 tax credit doesn't hurt). Build quality seemed so much higher than anything else in the size range. Cost was a bit higher, but I have a feeling it's a car she would like for much longer, and we'd likely keep it longer, so in the end it might pay off economically... near 50 mpg helps too, of course...

[Curtis]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

Yet another tool to help with your decision making process. Edmunds, Intellichoice and others offer a True Cost To own comparitor. Edmunds is here; http://www.edmunds.com/popupinfo/abo...costtoown.html.

I've had VW's in the past and found them to be extremely high in maintenance and repair costs. You'd think you were driving a premium brand for what they charge. I have no idea, but suspect that the Civic would be far less expensive to own. Give it a shot.

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

Yet another tool to help with your decision making process. Edmunds, Intellichoice and others offer a True Cost To own comparitor. Edmunds is here; http://www.edmunds.com/popupinfo/abo...costtoown.html.

I've had VW's in the past and found them to be extremely high in maintenance and repair costs. You'd think you were driving a premium brand for what they charge. I have no idea, but suspect that the Civic would be far less expensive to own. Give it a shot.

Well, judging from the cars I've looked at in this segment so far (pretty much every offering) it is the only one that feels like a premium brand. I actually found little to no difference between the jetta and the 'premium' older brother the Audi A3.. even had the same interior materials.

Also, that site has no info for the GX... not surprising though... It does show the 5 year cost of the Civic EX to be about $5,000 cheaper than the VW, but the VW is at LEAST $5,000 more car... it even has more than 2 speakers! The other option I'm considering is the Kia Forte EX... actually a very nice new car.. more trunk space and rear seat room than the GX, and more features (I think it has more standard features on the base model than the GX has available). The fact is, the only things the GX has going for it is cost per mile, and carpool access, both of which have no meaning for me right now, with shorter driving distances.

[Larryect]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

I have not looked myself. And I like the diesel in my truck. But, I have heard VW has about the lowest rating, I think it was by consumer reports. I have a friend that bought a couple of VW's for his daughters a few years ago. They both leaked/used oil and had other problems modern cars should not have. They looked and felt like quaity cars, but the mechanicals seemed lacking...

Just my .02 cents.

My Civic has not been trouble free though either. If not for carpool access, I would probably be looking at other cars.

Just do your research, roll the dice, make the best decision you can and the best of luck to you.

[Adrian]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

Prior to switching to Honda's, I was VW's biggest fan. Since High School, all I owned until about 8 years ago were VW's. I remember they accelerate great, handle great...but were expensive to maintain due to frequent breakdowns. I'll mention the 2 failures that made me switch from VW.

My 1998 Passat TDI started stalling in an unexplained manner after the initial warranty had expired. I spent close to $4,000 replacing everything the dealer recommended over 6 or so extended repair episodes and it kept stalling. I almost had several accidents on the freeway because of it. I ended up selling the car for $2,800 with a full disclosure of the problem. I think counting the repairs and selling at fractional value I lost close to $15,000 on this car.

Then there was my 1997 Jetta TDI. On my way up PCH to Monterrey, I heard a big clunk and the alternator light turned on, but the engine kept running. I pulled over and found out that the crankshaft pulley bolts had somehow sheared off and I found the pulley 300 feet from my car in a bush. It should have been covered under warranty, but I bought the car used and VW reduced the OEM warranty to HALF the miles for all but initial owners. It's obvious this was done to reduce costs due to frequent failures and a generally inferior product. Repair cost was close to $2,000. I repaired it, sold it and never bought another VW again.

Having said all that, VW's drive, handle and feel great. If money was not an object, I would probably own one.

Given how good Honda has been at building reliable cars, I don't understand why they can't built cars that are more fun to drive..but that's a different story. I can tell you that since I switched to Honda's 8 years ago, I have experienced a much higher level of reliability. Only exception is the 01-05 Civic GX CVT's which in my opinion gave Honda and the GX a black eye.

If you buy a VW, I would suggest the extended warranty and sell it right before the warranty expires and buy another new one. If you can't afford to to that, you are taking a major risk after the warranty period expires. You should get several years of fun driving in the mean time though.

[Beej]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

My wife pretty much fell in love with the Jetta SportWagon ... I have a feeling it's a car she would like for much longer

I've owned three VW's and six Hondas and huge list in between. From my experience, this is the only thing that really matters.

Enjoy your new car! Post some pics when you can.

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

Picked up the VW Friday afternoon. Loving it (the few times the wife's gotten out of the driver seat). The DSG 6 Speed tranny is really nice. The shift speeds are impressive, and 'launch mode' is fun to play with.

[Larryect]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

BEEJ did manage to point out the most important thing...

Congratulations on the new car.

[Adrian]

Re: Rear Seat room (Child Seats)

Congratulations on the new car. Sounds like it's a lot of fun to drive.