found a Britax Galaxy for $149.00 - as good as the RA?

[LucyG]

The Galaxy is on www.babylove.com, and the price seems great. Am I a car seat novice, or is this really a good deal? I have searched the archives here for info. on the Galaxy, and most of the comments are at least a year old. Can anyone with a Britax Galaxy (or a general knowledge of Britax seats) tell me whether this seat is as good as the RA? I will be using it both rear-facing and forward, and hopefully for several years.

Also, my computer will not pull up the Britax site right now. Does Britax sell seat covers for the Galaxy? The one on sale has a rather dull seat cover!

Thanks!

Edited to say:

I spoke with both babylove.com and Britax. According to both of them, the Galaxy has a rebound bar and an easier recline. The man at Babylove told me it is very similar to the RA. If this is the case, why is the RA so much more popular? And, why is the Galaxy less expensive? The model I am looking at has LATCH and was manufactured after Sept. 02. Toby, others?

[Joolsplus2]

It's not as popular because some people really had issues with the harness adjuster, and some people had issues with the anti-rebound bar interfering with the recline. I think it's probably a good seat, just not as easy (and certainly not as cute...it looks like an Australian seat, and those things are mighty drab!) to use as a roundabout (almost no one complains about the harness adjuster on the roundabout, it's buttery smooth for 99.9% of people). Also, the harness is threaded backwards through the buckle tongues...I don't know if it can be rethreaded normally, but it's kind of odd as it is. And one more thing, my pet peeve...the top harness slots are slightly lower on the Galaxy than the Roundabout (their spec sheet at britaxusa.com used to say 17.25, which would have been a deal-maker, but they turn out to be 15", the RA's are 15.5...not a huge difference, but it could mean maybe 6-9 months of usable time).
So, $149 is a pretty good deal for the quality and safety features you'd be getting (the price on this seat has always been quite low due to low sales...maybe they are discontinuing it? I dont know), but it is likely to be a slightly more difficult seat to use than the Roundabout
Here are some pictures to help you decide....http://pages.ivillage.com/momika/carseatphotos/id22.html http://pages.ivillage.com/momika/carseatphotos/id23.html

[LucyG]

Julie,

Thanks for your advice! My dilemma is this: I have a 15% off TRU coupon that expires tomorrow. I also have a $10-off coupon for BRU, and they will accept the TRU coupon in addition. Those things, along with the $35 in credit we have at BRU, would make the RA around $165 for us. Would you just go ahead and get the RA at BRU? We have not tried either seat out in our car, and I really want to do that. I can't if I order online (without paying shipping to return the seat if it does not work well for us). Ah, the decisions we must make!

I thought about Ebay, but I would not be able to return a seat that way.

We won't need the seat for a few more weeks, but I hate to let that 15% coupon expire.

Any advice given my situation?

[Joolsplus2]

ooooh, that's quite a bargain! Did you know that bru will let you test the floor models out in your car before you buy a seat? (and they have an excellent return policy, so the higher prices there are kind of like a good insurance) But even if you don't, Britaxes really do fit in just about all cars (Toby ran the stats from her database, and the RA fit in 99% of cars, and the MA in 92% of cars...pretty good!).
I don't think you'd be disappointed at all to have an RA or an MA for your next seat, especially for such a great deal you'd be getting... :)

[LucyG]

I'm glad to know I can try it out in my car before buying. I am leaning toward getting a seat at BRU now. Even though DD is petite, I am tempted to get the MA. That way, we won't have to worry about another seat for her for a LONG time. Though we plan to have another baby, we would probably get that child his/her own seat rather than move DD out of the MA or RA. I had my mom check my baby book, and I was 38 pounds at 5 years! DH is small, too, so I think a MA would last a while. Would you think a marathon would be a good long-term investment?

Edited: What month of manufacture should I look for on Marathons to avoid the problems some have had with theirs?

[Joolsplus2]

My ds was about 38 pounds at 5...he's almost 6 now, and 39-40...too tall for the roundabout, but I still like to keep him harnessed (so he's in a Husky!)...The Marathon's also good for extended rearfacing (my almost 4 yo dd is only 31 pounds and still has a fair amount of room in the MA for rearfacing)...I expect she'll fit in it forward facing till she's about 7 (that probably sounds like a "bit much"...but the more you know about car seats and car crash dangers, you want them harnessed forever... ;))
I think though, that you would probably get lots of use out of either seat, so go with the one you simply like best and fits your car best (and consider if you move the seat a lot, or go on many airline flights...the RA is a bit smaller and lighter and easier to tote around with you...)

[LucyG]

We decided to go with the MA, and got it last night. However, I want to try it in both cars in all possible positions before we decide to keep it for sure. If it does not fit well, we will return it and get the RA. It just wasn't feasible for us to take both cars to BRU last night.

Now, I want to make sure that we don't have the strap routing problem that some MA's have had. I have read archived posts on this, but there was still some confusion on whether you should be able to see the three holes under the flap or not. Is there anything definitive now on which is the correct answer (holes visible or not)?

There may be a post with this answer, but I did not find it.

FWIW, the MA we bought was manufactured in Jan. 03.

Thanks so much!

[Joolsplus2]

I think you should NOT be able to see the holes...and to the best of my knowledge, seats made in this year are all routed the "right" way, so it "should" be fine...but then again, there's no telling...look and make sure you can't see the holes in the brass fitting.
How did it not fit? Seats can and should be a little more upright than 45 degrees for older babies...so would it fit if it were a bit more upright? Also, it is A Good Thing if seats are wedged firmly into the vehicle seat in front of them...there doesn't need to be any space between the carseat back and the front seat (LOL, I'm not trying to talk you out of trading it in, just trying to see if you can be prevented the hassle of having to do that!)
good luck :)

[LucyG]

I didn't realize that it's good for the car seat to touch the seat in front of it. The MA definitely did that in our 2001 Accord. We put it rearfacing behind the driver's seat, next to the Snugride base, and it fit well. We are not tall people, so may have to move the driver's seat up a little. If there is a small gap, is that permissable? I guess we could always put it behind the passenger's seat. I want to make sure that the MA and Snugride both fit next to one another, as we plan to have another child in a few years, and would use the seats in those positions.

When I lift the flap on the MA, I don't see any holes. I do see two silver screws in the brass part when I lift the harness adjustor strap, but no actual holes. Does that sound OK?

Actually, I do have an unrelated question that you may be able to answer. Our Accord has a pull-down armrest in the back center. It fits very tightly into the seat, and we never have used it. Is it unsafe to have a car seat in the center of the backseat because of the armrest? If so, the whole question of fitting the MA and Snugride next to one another may be irrelevant!

Thanks so much!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I'm not Julie, but I can answer your question because we have the same thing in our Durango. Read the manual for your carseat and for your car. If they don't say you can't put it there, then you can.

Evenflo car seats say not to use them in a seat that has an "armrest" back, but other brands don't say that. We were using our Fisher Price Stay In View there, and now have our Roundabout there.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[Joolsplus2]

your adjuster sounds like a "good one" and it shouldn't give you any problems :)
yup, there can be a gap between the carseat and the seat in front of it...i only mentioned that there doesn't have to be one in case that was your fit problem (like if it were touching and you thought it *couldn't* be touching, you know?)

[LucyG]

Thanks to both of you for your help. I guess the days of being able to recline in the passenger seat on long trips are gone since we have a larger carseat now! LOL!

[Joolsplus2]

HAHAHA it's so true! DH likes to be very upright when he drives, so I had to put the RF seat behind him, because *I* want to be comfortably reclined in the passenger seat (of course, I have my FF ds behind that seat...no one rides in the center of the back in our cars!)
good luck!

[LucyG]

Thanks! I may have more questions when we actually install the MA!