I have 2 kids and had a FD with a JDM backseat. I can tell you that you won't have much luck properly fitting a rear facing car seat that is required for the first year. After they are 3+ yrs old you can have them in the back with a small booster to get the seat belt to fit them.

If the FD is the emergency kid hauler you'll be fine. If you have to do it everyday it sucks, even with my M3 vert it sucked, reaching way back there to buckle and unbuckle them, arg.

I roll a regular old 4 dr car now...

Jeff you're my hero also...

Why has everyone here completely looked over the RX-8?

Our "family car" is my wife's RX8. It's the only car we have that has back seats. The rear-facing baby seat fits just fine in the back. When we ride as a family one of us will sit in the back with her and pile all of her stuff in the front seat. It can look funny sometimes with a stroller occupying the front passenger seat. The baby seat does leave the front passenger seat pushed forward a bit and doesn't allow much recline so it can be a little bit of a compromise - but it's worth it. She's almost ready to be seated forward.

If you've got to look for a car that fits a baby seat in the back I reccomend the 8.

Ray

IMAGINE my 6000 lb. Suburban hitting your car, right where your kid is stashed.

ENOUGH SAID.

Go get a fucking car that is MEANT for kids/hauling multiple passengers....if you care about your family at all.

Damn bro, relax...

As i said before, i have another car, i was just wondering if the seat even fit in the back seat. do you think there would be much difference of your 6000 lb suburban smashing into the side of a wrx or an rx8 vs the FD, as far as baby survivability is concerned? what if all i could afford was a 1985 civic? would you bash me then because its not up to your safety standards?

Christ... Why don't you go out and get rid of your 6000lb suburban and get a decent car that doesn't weigh 3 tons. Afterall, its people with cars like you I have to worry about right?

Cool it.

There is a question in my mind:

Those JDM seats are awfully funny shaped. Little bowls.

How are you going to safely mount that kid seat? I know you mentioned the presence of a cage, but that's not how the seat was designed to be mounted. If I were considering this, it would be of the utmost concern to *know* that the seat will stay in it's mountings and that your mounting method is perfectly compatible with the structural design of the baby seat. After all, there are regulations about how these seats are to be mounted. Notwithstanding the fact that so many car seats are not properly installed in ideal conditions, you could put your child and yourself in a bad situation if there was an accident, something didn't work out, and it wasn't mounted in a way that meets the mfr and regulations.

Forgive my no-kid ignorance, but are front-seat baby carriers no longer available? I would do that if at all possible.

Dave

Nicely said! 6000lb Suburbans FTL :icon_tdow

+6000

Didn't mean to come across so harsh...hadn't had my morning cup of coffee yet...sorry!

But seriously, I think you answered your own question. There are much better 'people-haulers' out there. And yes, a modern day Civic or Camry or whatever will do MUCH better than an FD in an impact.

And for the haters...try hauling a 5000 lb. boat around without a big vehicle...lol.

And I have 5 cars for various purposes, only ONE 'monster'. But yeah, you need to watch out for beasts like this...lol! :)

In terms of the risk of getting run into (over) by a tall, heavy pickup or SUV, I imagine that mounting a child seat in the rear is probably safer. At least in back the child is more protected from intrusion by the b-pillar.

I don't like to think of any 4x4 running into an RX-7. The impact would focus above the door. Thankfully I haven't see too many accident pics like that, although I'm not sure anyone would live thru it to take the pics and post them.

I think we all know that accidents can be unavoidable. Stupid people do stupid things behind the wheel. I've found that vehicle size is typically inversley proportional to vehicle/situational awareness.

I've probably logged close to 15K highway miles with the family packed into the 8 and have encountered maybe one driving situation where I felt an immediate threat. It was raining while on the highway at night and I clearly remember telling myself "this is the kind of weather where I would expect to see a car come flying accross the median after hydroplaning." Two minutes later and about 500 yards up the road I see a car spinning at us from the oncoming traffic.

Other than that situation there have been a number of times where I anticipated the actions of others and relied on myself to remove us from the hazard. By far the worst offenders aren't the big SUV's on the highway - they usually just get to cruising altitude and put it on auto pilot. The worst ones on the highway are the sport-bike clubs. Those assholes treat highway riding like an obstacle course.

Anyways, i've sufficiently hijacked this thread - you can have it back now!

Ray

Don't you have a daily driver already or do you daily drive the FD? Why not just use your DD to haul the kids?

Well, i have two FDs and a CX-7. The wife drives the CX-7, and i daily one of the FD's. The Roll cage comment was more of a joke. The 93 does have a cage, but i DD the 94 FD and it is pretty much stock. I actually only bought it because its the only car i know of that i could work on, have fun and still get my money back when i sold it. I'll probably end up getting an RX-8. or maybe the new STi... something with four doors. But my question is answered if a baby seat CAN fit in the back. in case i had to use it.

baby seat dont fit in the back, tried that. fits in the front tho and my 3 yr old loves it, problem is now she wants to sit in the drivers seat!!

HAHA! Cute...

trade
 

alright bro, you talked me into it. i guess ill trade you my 8. its an 04. gotta love the multiside port :) my nephews carseat goes right into the rear buckets no problem. silent until about 6 grand, which is perfect for a sleeping baby . where are we meeting to make this trade?