Anybody here have a Honda Fit and a kid (in a carseat)?

[grace0418]

We just found out we're expecting so we're going to have to replace our beloved but not car-seat friendly 2-door Civic over the next 7 or 8 months. I still want a small car, and still prefer a Honda, and planned to purchase a Fit when my Civic died (probably sometime in the year 2050). But I'm curious whether it would be too small for a car-seat.

The thing I love about them is that they're small but extremely configurable, and they're 4 door. That means I can still get around the city, get good gas mileage and still fit in parking spaces, but also still be able to access the back seat.

Your thoughts? By the way, I'm not the least bit interested in having more than one child, so the two car-seat issue will not be an issue for me.



P.S. Before anyone starts in on me about hating America and not caring about union workers, just stop right there PLEASE. I'm not interested in having that argument again, really. I've stated my position and it's not changing. If you feel strongly that you need to make those comments again, please do us all a favor and hide this thread. Thanks.

[HopeHoops]

1. Frankly, I wouldn't trust one of those with a newborn.

Car seats are pretty safe now, but the Honda Fit would pretty much render that irrelevant in an accident with something that weighs more than a baked potato (with or without sour cream).

[grace0418]

2. Actually it has very good safety ratings for a small car, and I'm getting a small car

no matter what so that isn't a consideration here. We'll have a larger wagon for longer trips and highway driving. But in the city, I just refuse to be one of those moms who has to take up three parking spaces with some gigantic vehicle. I feel safer having a car I can maneuver.

[HopeHoops]

11. I took my driving test in a 76 LeMans that was 19 feet long. I can park ANYTHING.

I think the 84 Mercury Colony Park was the longest, but the 73 Buick Centurian was about the same, as is my 68 Galaxie 500 fastback (which I still have).

[Rosie1223]

3. Check the trunk space

Babies are small but require hauling a lot of 'stuff' too.

Congratulations, BTW!

:hi:

[grace0418]

6. It's a hatchback and the seats move all different ways. So the stuff involved shouldn't

be a problem. I just want to know how folks have handled getting seat and/or kiddo out of the car on a daily basis. They are lower to the ground than say a minivan.

And thank you! :)

[brendan120678]

4. First, congrats on the upcoming addition to your family...

I used to own a VW New Beetle that was my primary method of transportation. When my wife and I were expecting our first, I agonized over having to give up my car. We bought an infant car-carrier and base a few months prior to the baby being born, so we could test out the logistics of getting the car seat in and out. My wife drives a Lincoln Town Car, so we knew that wouldn't be trouble.

Even though the front seats on my Beetle folded forward a good amount, we decided it was still going to be a little too difficult to get the car seat in and out. I decided to trade in the Beetle, and we ended up getting a 2008 Ford Taurus.

So, long winded answer - if you have access to an infant car seat, borrow one and test it out with your Civic to see if it'll work or not. As you said, a two-door may be tricky, but it isn't impossible. Four-doors, of course, are ideal.

[grace0418]

5. There's absolutely no way a car seat is going to work in the Civic, sadly.

I know that without even trying to fit a car seat back there. It's nearly impossible to get a bag of groceries back there. I used to carpool with a guy who drove a Beetle and it was easier to get into the back of his Beetle than my Civic. So yeah, I know I have to give her up as much as I don't want to do it.

Oh, and thanks. It's pretty early on so I'm trying not to get overly excited but there are some things we need to start thinking about right away.

[REP]

7. The people who park next to me have two baby car things in their Fit

The Fit is apparently very, very easy to gouge the rear with strollers, judging by theirs, but yes, you van get quite a few babies in it. Also, judging from theirs, it's almost impossible to park.

[grace0418]

9. LOL! If they can't park a Fit then thank goodness they didn't get a larger vehicle.

The back of every car in Chicago looks like hell because no one can apparently park without ramming the car in front and back. Wow, two baby seats in a Fit. That is good news. Thanks!

[tigereye]

8. ah, at first I thought you were talking about the Honda that looks like a Lego

car. Always wanted one of those, but they are a lot bigger than what you are talking about.


I used to put my kid's carseat in my Ford Festiva (not a large car, but oddly roomy inside), until I finally decided to get rid of it since it was too small and didn't seem that crash-worthy. I then bought a bunch of Saturns and felt safer for the most part.


Maybe this site would help. http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-suspension-brake-modifications/11783-family-friendly-drop-thread.html

[grace0418]

10. My husband thought about an Element but apparently it's actually difficult to use

with a car seat because the rear seats are really far back in the car. You have to crawl to the back to get baby in and out. That wouldn't be fun in the winter when the floor of the car gets covered with slush and mud (not to mention cheerios).

Thanks for the link!

[Rosco T.]

18. Not true!

The Element has a side half door that opens up nicely to the rear seats (I have one)

[grace0418]

23. Interesting. I will tell him.

He was looking around on a Honda forum and saw the comment about the rear seats being really far away from the front seats many times. It seemed like it would be a bad idea because you couldn't reach back at a stop light and wipe baby's nose or give him some cheerios.

[Rosco T.]

25. Best advice I can give....

.. go to dealership and try it on for size.

[flvegan]

12. The 2010 Fit had excellent crash test/safety reviews.

And it's a good car (though I like the Mazda 3 better). I don't think it would be at all too small. If you have doubts, drive to a Honda dealer and put the car seat in the car for a test drive.

[grace0418]

15. I like Mazda 3s as well. I've driven one or two Mazdas as rentals and loved them.

I particularly like the 5 (I think, whatever one looks like a little wagon). But something about those Fits, I fell in love as soon as I saw one but knew it would be years and years before my Civic needed replacing. It only just occurred to us that the coupe wasn't going to work with a car seat. So while I'm sad about saying good-bye to my little green Civic, the silver lining is that I get a Fit.

Thanks for the advice. The only problem is we don't have a car seat yet. I guess we have to get on that.

[colinmom71]

26. The Mazda5 is based on the Mazda3 platform....

You just get a lot more cargo room than the 3, mini-van style sliding doors, and a more family friendly car. It's pretty much a mini-mini-van.

One thing to consider is how much cargo room you'll need. Will you be using this car for just everyday activities, such as going to work, grocery shopping, etc.? Or will this car be occasionally used to haul cargo, take a family trip to grandma's, do day long outings requiring baby gear. etc? (Strollers, playpens, and other baby/child gear can take up a good bit more room than you initially expect...) If you suspect the second question may come often enough into play, you may want to try out a Mazda5 to see if it's a good back-up option for you, just in case you find you need a bigger car than the Fit...

And yes, that Fit is great little car! But the cargo space in the Fit would never work with some of the strollers and other baby gear I've used in the past.

As for car seats, you pretty much can't go wrong with a Graco Snug-Ride for a newborn/infant seat and a Britax Roundabout or Marathon for an infant/toddler convertible car seat. Those seats seem to fit the most range of car makes and models and come highly recommended by Child Passenger Safety Technicians. There is also a web site data base that lists which car seats installed best according to vehicle make and model, which is linked here - http://www.carseatdata.org/ (though it looks like it hasn't been updated for a while now....)

Congrats, and best of luck on your next car!

[grace0418]

27. Funny you should ask. We're looking at the Mazda5 for our other car.

We've needed to replace our Subaru Outback for awhile. It just hasn't been that reliable and it's so expensive to repair. So even though size-wise it's perfect we will have to replace it for it's lack of reliability. I'm pretty disappointed with that. I thought we'd keep that car for awhile. The Civic is older and is still fantastic, but we have to replace it because of size. We'll go from no car payments to two. Argh! Actually, the Fit is so reasonable we may be able to cover it with the money we make from selling our other two cars. Fingers crossed.

Anyway, I love the Mazda5. It *is* like a mini-minivan. It got Consumer Report's top rating for wagons. #2 is the Volkswagen Jetta wagon, which is the other car we're considering for our bigger car. They have a diesel version that gets crazy good gas mileage, which I find very attractive. Either way, that would be the car we'd take to Grandma's or to Ikea or something. My husband will probably use that car mostly because I just prefer small cars on a daily basis and he likes larger cars.

Thanks for the advice and well wishes. :hi:

[hippywife]

13. I agree with flvegan.

We have a 2010 Fit, but no children. However, I can't imagine they wouldn't fit in the backseat just fine. There tons of room in there.


Congratulations. :hi:

[grace0418]

16. Thanks hippywife!

They do seem incredibly roomy for their size. I've very impressed by that.

[hippywife]

19. That was one of the major reasons

we chose it over the others in their size and class. We like to go camping and carry lots of stuff when we do. It had the most interior room.

[grace0418]

22. I like small cars that maximize room.

This seems like the perfect choice for me, but I wanted to get other opinions.

[NV Whino]

14. No kid, but I have a FIT

Can't see why it would be a problem. Plenty of room. I love my FIT.

[grace0418]

17. Thanks NV Whino

I think I'm going to love my Fit too. I love my Civic, she's been a wonderful car for over a decade. If we didn't have a little one on the way I'd keep her for many more years. We'll find a good home for her.

[PassingFair]

20. The Fit was TOO small.

We wound up across the street with this:



Easy in and out. Lots of headroom for messing with car seats.

30 mpg.

$17,000

[grace0418]

21. Those are pretty cute.

May I ask do you have one child or more?

[PassingFair]

24. Two teenage girls.

I gave them input as to what car I would
buy, seeing as how they will be sitting
in the backseat most of the time.

http://image.importtuner.com/f/26424307+w750+st0/impp_0911_04_z+2009_nissan_cube+interior_view.jpg

I'm glad I listened to them. The car has
been perfect for my work (I drive MOST of
the day) and then works for the family
the rest of the time.

They both have their permits now, and only
want to drive the Cube when out "practicing".

Our model came with an attractive interior package
that included red accents, colored knobs and
a rotating colored lighting display. (Groovy!)

I actually sat in the backseat of every
car we test-drove and JEEBUS, the back
seats gave me claustrophobia in every one
of the compact cars we tried.

If I had unlimited funds for car payments and
gas...I would have purchased the Ford Flex.