Fun Autocrosser That Fits a Car Seat?

So I really really wanted to buy a Scion FRS but after reading it seems a baby seat wont fit well in the car. I guess I'm a little crazy for even considering the FRS since I need room for the baby seat but I just cant drive a dull car. I currently autocross a 97 Civic Coupe with upgraded brakes and suspension but 200,000 miles on the clock. Its only a matter of time before I need to replace the car. I have also been looking at the 4 door Civic Si which wouldn't be half as fun as the FRS. What are some other good options for a guy in my situation?

I put a car seat in my Cooper S- and my ms3.... so I mean I guess it depends on what you need for room.

I am in the same boat, but need to fit 3 car seats as an emergency backup when the Van goes down.

How wide is an e46? If I get Radian super thin seats, will this work.

Or am I stuck with a 2003 M45 size boat(which isn't necessarily bad)

Grassroots SeaterSports. We need this article.

I have a child seat in my Miata as I type this.

I've seen a few WRX's with child seats...

2 seats fit easily in my previous 05 STi. I checked out a friend's new Focus ST Sunday, and it looked like there was plenty of room for a rear-facing seat there as well.

e46potenza wrote: I've seen a few WRX's with child seats...

I did the car-seat-in-a-WRX thing. It was okay for the first year with the rear facing child seat, but once they hit a year old and face forward, the front passenger seat becomes useless.

Legacy GTs aren't much better.

I actually found that coupes are much easier to load a kid into the back of than sedans. You're lifting the little bugger back, instead of across. My 911 was much easier than the Subaru. Also, very autocrossable.

bgkast wrote: I have a child seat in my Miata as I type this.

You sir are crazy!

Unfortunately BMW is a a little out of my price range... I have never been one too buy American cars but what do you all think of the new Ford Focus ST?

Konig16 wrote:

bgkast wrote: I have a child seat in my Miata as I type this.

You sir are crazy! Unfortunately BMW is a a little out of my price range... I have never been one too buy American cars but what do you all think of the new Ford Focus ST?

e46 resale values are crap... if you aren't looking at something brand new, those are an excellent choice.

FiestaST. Barring that, 911's can have enough room depending on the height of the driver and the size of the kids. When I give my kids the choice between the 911 and the truck they ALWAYS choose the 911.

4 door e36 M3

I just bought an '08 MINI Cooper and my 7 year old daughter fits with the booster and moving the passenger seat up a bit. Autocrossed last weekend, it was great.

An E46 will fit 2 adults in back, but not really 3. I think 3 child seats would be tough. I do agree that values are in the basement right now, so pounce on one if you can.

A standard E36 and E46 would work (and cheaper than the M3 versions), especially the E46 for the child seat and a passenger in the front. An E39 sport would probably fit the bill, too.

For mundane cars, a late 90s Accord coupe and a late 90s Thunderbird have rear seats that are actually useful for people bigger than 4 year old children.

A Focus St is a great choice for a brand new DD that is meant to autocross on the weekends. They are very well balanced, especially for a FWD car.

rx-8

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: For mundane cars, a late 90s Accord coupe and a late 90s Thunderbird have rear seats that are actually useful for people bigger than 4 year old children.

I've actually been looking into a mid-90's thunderbird... IRS, 5 speed manual, v8... seems like a pretty solid base for a project to me. Plus, they are stupid cheap because... well because they aren't that great of a car lol

Spoolpigeon is right. The RX-8 holds car seats surprisingly well.

Plus Cyclops drove one... so... there's that too

In reply to e46potenza: And because guys want Mustangs instead, so no one wants Thunderbirds. I would buy a Thunderbird, because IRS is the way to go. I thought that the V8s only had autos behind them.

Woody wrote: I actually found that coupes are much easier to load a kid into the back of than sedans. You're lifting the little bugger back, instead of across. My 911 was much easier than the Subaru. Also, very autocrossable.

Did you ever try this with a rear facing seat?

mazdeuce wrote: FiestaST. Barring that, 911's can have enough room depending on the height of the driver and the size of the kids. When I give my kids the choice between the 911 and the truck they ALWAYS choose the 911.

You sir are raising your kids right.

In reply to Konig16:

First kid? Just be aware that kids come with a ton more crap than just a car seat. I would recommend something with 4 real doors at a minimum. Budget matters, I just did a "what car?" thread asking a similar question...

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/what-car-4-doors-fun-to-drive-can-baby-toddler-10-25k/89280/page1/

singleslammer wrote:

Woody wrote: I actually found that coupes are much easier to load a kid into the back of than sedans. You're lifting the little bugger back, instead of across. My 911 was much easier than the Subaru. Also, very autocrossable.

Did you ever try this with a rear facing seat?

I had to think about this, but no I didn't. I think that would actually be the easiest of all situations, though. The rear facing seat that we had was a base that was strapped into the car with a removable baby carrier. The kid was fastened into the seat in the house and then the seat locked into the base that was mounted in the car.