Cramming the kids in the car

October 24, 2006 3:09 PM

What cars can fit three car seats in the back seat?

I'm not interested in mini-vans, SUVs or trucks. I've seen similar questions (http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/10246), but the answers don't seem so specific. Let's keep the price range around 20K or so (or am I asking the impossible?). Thanks!

posted by Sassyfras to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

Depends on the type of car seats. My old 1999 honda accord could fit two sit up carseats and one infant, or two infant and one sit up. (I mean sit up as in for the older sitting child, not the baby carrier types)

T'was tight though.
posted by routergirl at 3:15 PM on October 24, 2006

Our Passat fits three easily, as does my sister's Concorde. I've even fit three in my Mazda Protege, though it was tight.
posted by jrossi4r at 3:21 PM on October 24, 2006

My 2000 Toyota Camry has fit 1 infant seat and 2 car seats before. Infant in middle. It is tight to reach the buckles on installation this way, but it can be done.
posted by scubbadubba at 3:21 PM on October 24, 2006

We've managed three across in our Jetta, but it's not easy. I've had two rear and one front facing in convertible seats, and one front-facing convertible seat with two belt-positioning boosters.

I don't think I could get three front-facing convertible seats, although I have never tried.
posted by padraigin at 3:26 PM on October 24, 2006

Infant carriers or “child seats” per se?

Look at midsize and full-sized cars, like the Malibu or Impala. Or the Crown Vic.

Have you considered one of the tall wagons? (I think the Mercedes B-class might be out of your range.) Some of those have three rows of seats, though not all have LATCH anchors or tethers in row three. It is, as you suggest, not easy to insert three tabs A into slots B.
posted by joeclark at 3:49 PM on October 24, 2006

In case you're looking to buy second hand and wanting all three seats to have 3 point seat belts:
www.honestjohn.co.uk has a list of UK cars.
posted by hmca at 3:57 PM on October 24, 2006

The Mazda5 seats 6 in 3 rows. It has doors like a minivan, but gas mileage like a large car. Sells new for less than 20k. There is plenty of room for 3 car seats (comes with LATCH for all 4 rear seats). There won't be much room for cargo, though. The rear seat is split, so you can have 5 seated and half of the back left for cargo.
posted by crazycanuck at 4:19 PM on October 24, 2006

2nd the Protege. We have a Protege5 (it's now the Mazda 3) and have had 3 car seats in the back for 4 years.
posted by chococat at 4:35 PM on October 24, 2006

We've had a PT cruiser for a while now and it fits 3 carseats pretty comfortably. In fact, one of the reasons we bought it was for the spacious back that would be able to fit all the seats. It is a pretty reliable car as well, I have no complaints.
posted by sputgop at 5:18 PM on October 24, 2006

My dodge stratus (1998 - canadian stratus, not the US one) could fit a booster and two 5point harness infant seats.
posted by burhan at 6:25 PM on October 24, 2006

Not quite a derail: You can also look into what car seats are skinniest. I have a friend with six children who ride in two rows of three in her minivan. When she was due with number 5 (meaning she'd have to start putting some three abreast), she went on-line and researched car seat dimensions, and found that Britax car seats (expensive and fancy) were the narrowest. She's been able to fit three car seats across if one is a Britax in a row where she could not fit any other combination of three seats.

Second the Camry. Our 99 Camry accommodated three quite well, though I had to learn tricks for dealing with the buckles. It works best if they aren't all facing the same way--one rear-facing and two front-facing, or vice-versa.
posted by not that girl at 8:28 PM on October 24, 2006

I actually don't think you'll have too much trouble finding a car that has room for 3 car seats in back. My friend has a 4-door Ford Focus--not the biggest car around--and has 3 car seats in the back.

Good luck.
posted by claytonius maximus at 8:21 AM on October 25, 2006