Is this a waste of money?

[brismom]

We need a FF car seat for DD in our Civic, we also have a MA for DS who is RF. we want to try to leave some room for an occasional 3rd passenger and after lots of research found the radian might be our best bet being that it is pretty narrow and puzzles well with the MA according to posters here. my question is though is it a waste to get the radian when we won't be using it RF? Or are there other narrow options (nixed the cocorro idea, weight limit just seemed not worth it in the long run)

[Joolsplus2]

I don't think it's a waste of money. It's a great seat, it fits your kid, your car, your needs, so if you can get a couple years' use out of it, that's fine.
I saw some pictures where the XT model seems to offer a little head protection so the kiddo's head isn't right next to the hard plastic shell on the Marathon. Not that it's a known danger to have seats puzzled together so close, but I thought the wings made it look a little more comfy in that respect.
The Safety 1st Go is also a fairly narrow/puzzling choice, but isn't great if you don't have a tallish headrest in the middle position, as it has no back (it also requires a top tether, your car has one, right?)... I wish I had a Marathon to try next to mine for you :/.

[arivecchi]

I have pics of a Radian and a Boulevard posted here somewhere. The Blvd (same shell as Marathon) fits great next to a Radian.