[Carl M]

Hi,

I wonder if I can tap into the wealth of Saab information you guys have?

We're expecting our first child later this year and started the process of looking at Baby Seats etc... We like the look of the Maxi Cosi Cabrio but have been told it doesn't fit into a 9-3ss properly, it has 'buckle crunch'??.

Has anybody fitted one of these seats into their car, if not can you recommend any group 0/0+ seats that are sold in the UK/Europe that fit? The Saab is not going!!!!

Thanks

Carl

 

[craigh]

Get an Isofix seat- I think Britax make them- They are by far the best to fit and are very safe.

 

[bauklo]

Get an Isofix seat- I think Britax make them- They are by far the best to fit and are very safe.

i second that. i read an article in the major german consumer test magazine about baby seats and the essence was, that whil isofix is generally more expensive, it is also a lot safer.

the text can be found here, naturally in german. maybe babelfish or the like will translate

http://www.stiftung-warentest.de/online/auto_verkehr/test/1262309/1262309/1265475.html

 

[Aero_adam]

I too have a wife expecting in September and have just bought the Maxi Cosi Cabrio for it on the strength of it's which test results and it clips on to the Quinny pram that we wanted. I haven't heard of any issues with "buckle crunch" until now and will report when we get it.

I am hoping that it is as good as they claim it is.

ISOFIX are supposed to be good.

 

[Carl M]

Thanks for your help, Aero-adam have you gone for the Quinny Buzz? that's what has pushed us to looking at the Maxi Cosi seats for a pushchair, Quinny's are amazing considering there pushchairs (Zapp is good also), the Maxi Cosi Isofix Cabrio is supposedly not out until very late this year, early next so we don't want to leave it to chance.

It was Maxi Cosi UK who said Saab's suffer from buckle crunch, we'd be very interested to know if you get the Cabrio to fit into your Saab, then all our problems are solved. Thinking of going to Mothercare and see if they can fit one in even though it's a little too early yet (thought August/September time)

Btw we have looked at Britax seats and travel systems and are not so sure about them at all, they don't seem very good IMHO, the just don't seem to have the quality or design we're looking for. That's why I own a Saab!!

Carl

 

[Viscouse]

Perhaps a silly question, but doesn't Saab sell their own baby car seat?
Maybe not in the catalog, but available from the dealer? May be worth a ring?

 

[Carl M]

They do, but at last looking over £250. You can buy a travel system for not much more hence my question, thanks anyways.

 

[Aero_adam]

Thanks for your help, Aero-adam have you gone for the Quinny Buzz?
Carl

Yes. I just hope that the child seat fits now..... It didn't occur to me for a second that there was such a thing as "buckle crunch". Ours seat is due any day (ordered three weeks ago) so I will let you know when it arrives.

 

[Simon K]

Baby Seats

Hi,
Baby Seats for a Saab 9-3 Convertible (2002), what a complete nightmare if your 6ft tall!
We have just had twins, yes I know having a convertible is not the most family freindly car int he world, but I like it.

We really struggled to find 2 that would fit in the back, and I mean real trouble . I am 6ft tall, so need the drivers seat quite a way back from the steering wheel and pedals to get my arms and legs in. We tried every car seat available from Mothercare and Babies r Us, everyone and not one of them would fit. Even the Britax ones that they claim fit the car don't, too loose once in position. In the end, and on the verge of selling the car, we found a travel system with a smaller baby seat. Its from Mothercare and called an Urban Detour Peninsula (£65) page 102 of the Mothercare catalogue. It fits, just and I mean just! Ideally I could do with a sealt belt extension of 1inch, but now I am lookign for two of those, or slighlty longer seat belts, Does anyone know where I can get some from?
I dont know what happens when they get a bit bigger and need the next size car seat, anyone got any ideas????

Simon K

 

[smurkenstein]

You fellers probably already figured this out - rear facing for the small baby, then forward facing for the toddler - the thing is you can spend a shed load of dosh on travel systems.

We purchased an m&p travel system - the carry seat docks into the pram or the car seat holder. It all looks good when you buy it - move the baby in and out of the car without waking it. It cost nearly £300 - we are on our second baby now, and the pram is falling apart - and the car seat was never very sturdy.

We also have a Brittax rear facing baby seat - its a bit like a large shopping basket with a handle the swivels 120 degrees so you can carry the baby in it. This is an excellent piece of kit - its light and easy to carry (not like the m&p - and weight is a big thing when you get up to 6 months), its really tough and its a MUCH better fit in the car - really sturdy. We like to travel abroad & this piece of kit is invaluable - tough enough to send through luggage and easy fit in foreign taxis/hire cars. The only problem is - it doesn't fit into the pram - but this is no big deal - either carry the baby or move it into the pram. (on prams - we have four - the cheap light weight prams from mothercare are much better than the bulky travel systems after 12 months). It also requires a lot for forward space int he car as the handle angles forward.

Our older baby (now 2) moved on to a forward facing maxi cosi seat (John Lewis) after a year - unfortunately my wifes Peugot doesn't support isofix so its a seat belt system. I dont remember the model but its big & I have no idea what buckle crunch is - my little girl can kick the back of my seat and I'm quite short (sorry Simon - something to look forward to there, whatever seat you have ). It does seem safe - there are two grips for the seat belt which is really tight fitting - my only niggle is that the baby belt buckles/straps tend to slide down under the baby and can be difficult to find with a wriggling infant in place.

Just one other thing - I always put a blanket under the seats to reduce wearing on the leather .

Congratz on the twins - sounds like hard work .

 

[Carl M]

I have found at finally what the heck 'buckle crunch' is, it seems that some baby seats can come into contact with the buckle holder (not sure if this the right term!! the bit with red button) in a crash and unfasten the belt itself.

Seems that it is not that common, the shop had never heard of it on Saab 9-3's and had sold/fitted a few MaxiCosi Cabrios to Saab owners (had on a few different cars though). But the way the holder is placed (semi flush) in the back seat could be the cause of maxi cosi's doubts it was suggested.

 

[Aero_adam]

Carl,

Ours arrived the other day but I haven't had chance to try it in the car. I rang Maxi Cosi to ask them about the issue and they said it fits in teh Saab 9-3 fine. The Isofix Maxi-Cosi Cabrio is out in September / October. Too late for me but perhaps OK for you?

 

[MudMover]

FWIW,


I have 2 boys (20 months and 3 3/4 born on the same day 2 years apart! - not sure if that's nearly twins) so have run and am still running through the whole gamut of car seats.

We started with a Graco system - rear facing seat, just plug it into the base which remains permanently in place for the 1st year. We bought an extra base for the second car which was a boon - NO fiddling with straps etc. and baby isn't disturbed when you put them in or take them out of the car. This system served us well in the early days in our 900 convertible and a Freelander. Oh, yes, I'm 6'0" and there was no problem with leg-room for me, or seatbelt length (very little is needed to attach the base.) Being a 'system' it meant that pram-car-pram transfers were very easy - well, as easy as they can be!

When we went on to forward facing seats, we bought a couple of Maxi Cosi (Priori) seats which fitted the Saab perfectly but not the Freelander (the attachment points are a long way forward than normal and only the Britax Renaissance fitted correctly - which happened to cost twice as much!)

When we got the Volvo (replacement for the Freelander) we bought their own rear-facing car seat at great expense but already James has outgrown it - not in physical terms - he just doesn't like facing backwards anymore - so that was a very expensive (£250) purchase considering how little time he has spent in it. If Saabs own seat is engineered anything like the Volvo then the seat in front of it will have to be fully forward, leaving you with very little legroom!

The 2 maxi cosi seats are in constant use in my '04 93 convertible and prove to be very practical - they can be reclined to any position without having to adjust any straps etc. Thomas is just about outgrowing his seat (he's been using the built-in booster seat in the Volvo since we got the car) so I will be in the market again for a booster seat for the Saab shortly.


In short, don't go for looks, go for practicality. The Graco system looked and felt cheap (although sturdy enough - it was 'clunky') but it worked very well, M&P systems look cool, but cost an arm and a leg. Anything that requires the fastening and unfastening of the seat belt everytime to want to load/offload your offspring will have you cursing by the time you move on to a fixed forward facing seat.

Just my 2 cents,

ATB,

Phil

PS For Simon K - Actually I've found the convertible to be very practical for a couple of kids and associated paraphenalia. Particularly in this fine weather we're having now - as loading and unloading can be done over the side of the car - whilst others are struggling to climb in and out of the back.....Enjoy!

 

[GriffinAero]

Carl,
I have a 3 wk old son, but I'm in the US. I have a Graco snugride with the latch system rear facing behind the passenger seat.
I would second the opinion you look at Britax, considered some of the best or a french brand called Bebe confort: http://www.bebeconfort.com/
You'll find a side mounted car seat, which sits perpendicular to the road. I find their stuff to be well designed and practical. You should be able to find it in the UK. They simply don't have it here in the US, I don't know why.
There's other models on the site for newborns. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Congrats on the baby.

Hi,

I wonder if I can tap into the wealth of Saab information you guys have?

We're expecting our first child later this year and started the process of looking at Baby Seats etc... We like the look of the Maxi Cosi Cabrio but have been told it doesn't fit into a 9-3ss properly, it has 'buckle crunch'??.

Has anybody fitted one of these seats into their car, if not can you recommend any group 0/0+ seats that are sold in the UK/Europe that fit? The Saab is not going!!!!

Thanks

Carl

 

[Simon K]

Next Car Seat - Forward Facing

Well the two munchkins are starting to grow at an ever increasing rate of knots and I think I had better start looking for the next car seats for them before its too late.
They are 6 months old now and I need to find some forward facing car seats for them to fit in the back of a 9-3 Convertible. We had a nightmare trying to find the first ones but suceeded in the end.
Can anyone suggest any that may be suitable this time round?? I am 6ft tall and need the drivers seat quite a long wany back to get my legs and arms in. Any advice greatly fully accepted, failing that anyone want two six month olds for a few years???
Simon K

 

[MudMover]

Hello again Simon,


I'm still successfully using the Maxi Cosi Priori seats for my 2. Thomas (4) is stretching the limits of this seat in the Saab and now has a seperate booster seat in the Volvo (the built in booster still gets used, but being centrally located isn't in the best position to watch the DVD screens.)

The Maxi Cosi are pretty reasonably priced and are available in most stores - we bought at John Lewis, but the prices seem to be the same wherever you go.

Good Luck with whatever you choose.

Regards,

Phil

 

[JWLANKY]

Im glad someone resurrected this thread, because i have a related question that could do with answering.

I too have twins on the way, and already have a 3 3/4 yo son - so it looks like the convertible is going to have to go.

As im really happy with the 'vert ill probably look to swap to a Sportwagon / Saloon. Does anyone know if you can (generically speaking) get two baby seats and a booster seat into the rear of a 9-3SS / SC or have i got to look at a larger model?

TIA

J

 

[MudMover]

JW,

Not sure if the sportwagon has enough width for 3 seats together. I got to drive a loaner whilst mine was in for service, but didn't really look at it from that angle.

Hate to use the V word again, but many of their range have boosters built in to the middle seat of the three. Certainly, we've had car seats in the outer 2 positions and the built-in booster in use at the same time in ours. Again, not sure which of the range have this as standard - at least they're Swedish!

ATB,

Phil

 

[colombo]

I just want to add that teh ISOFIX mounts in this car are practically unusable. They are hidden deep in the gap between the backrest and the seat, and unless there is a seat with a special adapter these mounts are not easy to use. In addition, if they are used the part of the sear that attach to them is really pressing the padded foam bit violently down, so there will surely be marks on the seats after a while.

I know, because we bought a Römer seat w/ISOFIX, and only a very few times I have struggled these in place. Rest of the time it's belt mount. And that's a pity because it is surely less safe.

I've seen in a Renault that the ISOFIX mounts are very easy accessible, so it IS possible to do it properly...

 

[colombo]

Im glad someone resurrected this thread, because i have a related question that could do with answering.

I too have twins on the way, and already have a 3 3/4 yo son - so it looks like the convertible is going to have to go.

As im really happy with the 'vert ill probably look to swap to a Sportwagon / Saloon. Does anyone know if you can (generically speaking) get two baby seats and a booster seat into the rear of a 9-3SS / SC or have i got to look at a larger model?

TIA

J

I think two seats and a booster will be very close to impossible, but obviously all depends on the width of the booster, which will have to be in the middle.