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Car seat question

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  • #1

    Car seat question

    I'm breezing in really quick to ask a weird car seat question. Thomas and I are looking at getting a VW van that we found this weekend...One of the things that is really neat about it is that the 2 passenger rows in the back face each other and there is a table in the middle...ie kids could color, read, play cards, etc while facing each other.

    The trouble is....the seats that face backwards only have lap belts. This is apparently standard with rear-facing seats. However, it is my understanding that lap/shoulder belts are best....but I can't for the life of me find any info on these types of seats and if they are perhaps safer with lap belts????????

    Does anyone have any idea???

    kris
    ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
    ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Hi Kris,
    I don't know about rear facing seats -- maybe call someone at a VW dealership (service dept.) and ask them? They may sell a modification kit to make the belts lap and shoulder belts.
    I know that the Volvo rear facing seats you can get in the back of the Volvo station wagons have lap and shoulder belts. I would think those would be safer.
    Happy car hunting!

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    • #3
      I don't have an answer to your question, Kris, but the car you are looking at sounds super-cool! Now I want to go test-drive one....

      Jennifer
      Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
      With fingernails that shine like justice
      And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

      Comment

      • #4
        We called and did some legwork...apparently, the rear-facing seats don't require the shoulder-safety belt for safety purposes because of the way the impact is taken. The concern with the lap belt when you are facing forward is that in a frontward collision that your feet and head would fly forward and this would cause abdominal injuries. When you are rear facing this wouldn't happen.

        Because I'm so paranoid though we are going to have them installed in those two seats anyway...in other words...we bought the van The kits are $89.00 each to make the conversion plus the labor...and I think that for my peace of mind it is a worthwhile investment!

        Anyway...here are the pics directly from the dealer's website of our new little baby

        ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
        ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

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        • #5
          That is a great van! When our car finally stops I'll have to look into that. It must have been designed by a parent. Congrats on the car purchase

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          • #6
            Kris,

            It looks fantastic! Is this the "Eurovan" model? That is exactly the model that I want to get eventually. I'm excited for you and can't wait to see it.

            Kelly
            In my dreams I run with the Kenyans.

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            • #7
              You'd still want the shoulder belts in the rear-facing seats in case of a severe rear-ending anyway, right? Seems like you made the right choice.

              Nice van!
              Married to a hematopathologist seven years out of training.
              Raising three girls, 11, 9, and 2.

              “That was the thing about the world: it wasn't that things were harder than you thought they were going to be, it was that they were hard in ways that you didn't expect.”
              ― Lev Grossman, The Magician King

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              • #8
                THANKS!

                Julie, that was my sentiment exactly....which is why we're having them installed. Right now, we are able to get everyone buckled in appropriately with their car seats...but as they continue to grow and teh car seats change to boosters that will change. We are making an appt. to have it done ASAP.

                This is a used 2001 VW eurovan, btw...and they aren't making them anymore! The 2003 models were the last ones to be produced. They are now making a 'microbus' that is currently available in europe but not the US. It goes back to that 70's look that the eurovan had going on. We actually got the last van in a 60 mile radius....Apparently the only eurovans that will be sold in the US in the next 2-3 years will be the used ones that people trade in......They told us it takes a couple of years for the new stuff to make it over here and in the meantime there is no new production....

                kris
                ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
                ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

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                • #9
                  Kris,
                  You made my day! I didn't know that the microbus was available in Europe. It started out as a concept car for VW and I feel I love....
                  When they sell those in the US, I will be first in line!

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                  • #10
                    I know...I want an upgrade then


                    The great thing about the VW is that their motors just go and go and go. We bought a two year old vehicle with 34,000 miles on it (about average, I guess) for less than it would have cost us to buy a used town and country or many other vans. It wasn't as cheap as our dodge, but that was a 99 and wasn't as good. We were given a FULL certified warranty for two years and for $20/extra a month an extra 60,000 mile warranty. IN other words, this vehicle is under warranty for 100,000 miles.

                    VWs have the reputation for having quality motors and so I assume that I'll be driving this one for a long time!

                    A little extra....it has curtains...isn't that cute?

                    kris
                    ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
                    ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

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                    • #11
                      Kris,
                      It's been a while since I looked at the Microbus (I sort of gave up hope ) but I think you can get it with the VW tiptronic shifting! Woohoo!
                      A sensible car that kicks some a**! Hopefully my current turbo wagon 8) will time its eventual demise with the introduction of the VW microbus (oh, and completion of residency.....).

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                      • #12
                        Jon has been itching to buy a VW for awhile. I'll show him this thread. The van looks fabulous!

                        Jennifer
                        Who uses a machete to cut through red tape
                        With fingernails that shine like justice
                        And a voice that is dark like tinted glass

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          What a cool looking van Kris! I love the way the rear seats face each other! I agree about Volkswagens in general, when I was a kid we had an old VW bug and that thing never quit, it was much more dependable then all of the rest of our more modern cars. I think all of the new VW's are really sleek looking too--I saw a commercial for a Toureag (or whatever it is called) kind of a cross between an SUV and a mini-van and it looked like a neat car.
                          Awake is the new sleep!

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                          • #14
                            Congrgats on the new purchase Kris!

                            My brother would have nothing of the sort, the new style of VW anyway! He has had VW's since he was 14. He is now 25 and has a '70 superbeetle, '71 convertible beetle, '72 Westie bus and a '73 window bus.(plus another bug and bus for parts!!) He is part of a nationwide VW club called 'The Buskatirs'. The have a huge following and he has driven his VW's from coast to coast and camped all over the place. He loves them and is a major part of their "rescue" team. When they are getting ready to go somewhere, they send out the info of where they are going and how they are getting there through their email server to all members, and then people in those areas will help, should they need it! It has been funny to hear some of the stories, both of rescuing and being rescued!

                            Again, congratulations on the new vehicle, I am sure that your children will love it...as will you and Thomas!

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                            • #15
                              Wow.....I'm so surprised at how positively everyone is responding...we should ALL get VWs

                              Matt, do you think that you could ask your brother about getting seatbelts specifically designed for the VW to replace the lap belts? The ones that can be gotten at whitney are just sort of general replacement ones...it would be neat to have the VW brand

                              And let me just say, Matt....that is the coolest car story ever...he has that many old VWs...he must really love them!!!

                              kris
                              ~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
                              ~A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

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