britax ma, bv, ra - anyone have space issues?

[elke]

hi,
we are about ready to buy our next carseat and went to the store today to try out all the various britax seats and it seemed that the ra was the only one that really fit well in our mazda protege5. we tried the seats behind the driver's seat, since the infant seat is still in the middle (and i really don't want to uninstall that seat), but we will eventually be putting the seat in the middle also.

here's my question: I'd much rather get the boulevard (esp. that good deal at bru), however, it didn't seem to fit all that well behind the driver's seat but should probably be a little better in the middle. however, if i buy it online retuning it isn't an option...
so, to all owners of somewhat compact cars (honda civic, vw passat) etc., can you fit the bigger britaxes without pushing the front seats up too much? did you see a big difference between the middle and outboard positions?

lastly, the saleslady said the ma, bv, decathlon etc. all should fit the same. is that true?

thanks!
elke

[murphydog77]

Hi Elke. If you buy from babiesrus.com, you can return the seat to any BRU store without a problem.

I haven't had to install one of the bigger Britax seats in a small car, so I can't help with the fit question, but Julie has always said that if you can fit a SnugRide in your back seat, you can fit a Marathon. So, I'd say you shouldn't have any problem. How old is your little one? The older the baby (say, over 5-6 months), the more upright the car seat can be and that can also help with the space issue.

As for the Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon, yes, they should all fit the same because they all have the same base and are all based on the Marathon shell.

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.CarSeatSite.com

[kimbe]

We have a 2003 Chevy Malibu. We had a snugride in the middle position -- there was barely enough room and most of the time we had the passanger seat moved forward so that we could move the handle up and down.

We now have BV and it fits beautifully. Both of the front seats are moved all the way back and there is room to spare! I am not sure how our car compares to yours, but the convertable seats fit much differently than the infant seats. I would say that if your infant seat fits, you should definitely be able to fit the BV. (The BV even fits well in the backseat of our full size extended cab pickup!)

HTH!

[momtoB]

From the car seat database: http://www.carseatdata.org/database.html
Mazda Protégé 1999 Britax Boulevard rf Center. OK fit. Tethered to leg of front seat. bazoda

hth.

[mrshalco]

I have a MA RF in my 97 Honda Civic. It fits great in the middle seat. My DH and I are both short (I'm 5'1" and he's about 5'10") but we do like to ride/drive with the seats back far. You shouldn't have any problems in your car!
HTH!
Colleen
Mom to Logan 5/12/04

[SusanMae]

I have an 05 Malibu Maxx and got a Marathon in there no problem. Since the baby is older you don't need to recline the seat as much. Also there is someone on another board I visit who has a RF marathon and a snugride in the back of her 2 door chevy cavalier, so it is possible.

Susan

[elke]

thanks everyone!
off i go now to shop! that was great to hear that you can return the seat to the store, too! my dh and i seem somewhat incapable of trying the seats properly in the store, so it will be great to be able to try it at home.
thanks again, this board is such a great help!
elke