I'm in a similar situation, with a baby due at any time. We have a 2009 Fit, a greyhound, and now a carseat that takes up more room than expected.

The dog will happily ride in the hatch, and we can fold up one rear seat for our gear if we pack lightly. If we really need space for a road trip, we can rent a van the few times of year we need it.

Growing up, we made do with a small car. I'm sure people in Europe do it all the time. Of course, I could be all wrong and Caravan shopping in a few weeks, but I sure hope not. The Fit is our best car ever. :-)

 

The problem in small cars with rear-facing infant seats is that they extend so far forward.



(Note that this is not my kid, just some random toddler from the about.com website)

Think about how the Fit is designed - the space behind the front seats is quite small, but they made the seatbacks unusually thin with sculpted cutouts for knees to help fit a rear passenger.

To use a rear facing seat in a small car, the only feasible answer (unless you're about 4 feet tall) is to put it in the rear passenger side, and have a standing rule that the passenger, as the one who doesn't have to actually operate the car, gets to scrunch forward to make room for the seat. This puts them in danger from the airbag, but it's either that or use the rear center seat and put both front seat occupants in airbag danger AND compromise the driver's position.

Now, the rear space in the Fit is great for some things, but a large stroller is going to swallow up almost all available cargo space, very quickly. Toss in a diaper bag, and gee, I don't know, any other stuff you may need to take with you or bring home. It's going to be a PITA. When my wife traded her Echo for a used CR-V, it was like "Oh thank god, you mean bringing your kid in the car is NOT supposed to be an exercise in contortionist misery?"

Once the kids are out of rear-facing seats, it gets better. My 5 year old is still in a booster, my 7-year old isn't. The booster still makes the rear of the fit a bit cramped for my 5 year old, since her feet kinda dangle midway against the back of the front seat. I usually pull the passenger seat forward (nobody is there most of the time anyway) to give her more space. My 7 year old is tall enough that her feet are below the seatback, so it's perfect back there for her.

You can get by in the Fit, but it won't be ideal. You can get by in a Jeep Wrangler, or the bench seat in a 1980 Chevy C/K pickup. But for ideal, I'd suggest the CR-V, Mazda5, heck even the Accord would probably work out a lot better (it has a much larger back seat as far as distance between the seatbacks goes). There's no shortage of used, gently driven Accords out there, but they do tend to hold their value very well.


An Element could work reasonably well - it has an unreal amount of rear seat space, but you wouldn't be able to easily get the babe in and out of the seat without removing the entire carrier from the base.

 

+1. I'm seeing a lot of posts about how so-and-so fits everyone and their dog in a Fit, and I can too, but I'm beyond the rear-facing car seat stage. The rear-facing convertible car seat, to me, is the deal-breaker. There is no way to understand how much of a pain these seats are until you deal with one.

psychophd: if you're used to trading or selling cars regularly, I suppose there is no harm in enjoying the Fit for a few years and seeing what happens when child comes along.

 

Occam hit the nail on the head.

We didn't buy a Fit or even a Civic in 2007 because we needed another vehicle that would fit a rear facing seat and could carry all of the accessories which first time parents feel they really need (even when told they don't really need to carry all of that stuff). So, that is why we ended up with the Altima. It was a comfortable car that fit all of our Stroller-storing, Diaper Bag hauling, & grocery bag toting needs without having to have my wife jammed into the dashboard or crammed in the back behind me. Once our son moved to a Forward facing seat and the diaper bag got much smaller (and non-existent), the Fit once again became an option and eventually moved into our household replacing the Altima. Taking our old monthly trips to target (1.5 hrs away) to pick up diapers and other larger items such as big pack of paper towels, toilet paper, Cat Litter, wouldn't have been an easy task in the Fit. The trip over would have been fine, but the trip back... not fun. Taking the Ridgeline would have negated half or more of he savings.

~SB

 

It's something that probably wouldn't cross your mind until you've been there.

(what has two thumbs and spent hours installing a back seat and seat belts in his Jeep Wrangler only to find that a rear facing child seat wouldn't fit? This guy!")

 

LOL! Those convertible seats are the devil spawn. I got rear-facing seat that goes up to 35 lbs (which really just means baby will outgrow it height-wise before she outgrows it weight-wise) and am hoping that she'll be big/old enough for front-facing by the time she outgrows the rear-facing seat. I can find a convertible seat that will fit in the Fit, but the mechanics of using one in my coupe are pretty much going to force me to replace it far sooner than I would otherwise have done.

 

Hi all,

thanks for the great info and advice. After lots of research, some test drives and bargaining, I decided on a Rav4. Coming out of a Mazdaspeed3 and S2000, it's not exactly the performance monger, but I got the V6, 4wd sport model. I also got the sport appearance package which deletes the rear spare which to me always looked ungainly. It's surprisingly quick (mid-hi sixes for 0-60), and at speed handles much much nicer than the Mazdaspeed. The steering feel is a bit light, but overall I had no complaints for the massive 10 miles I've driven it home.

I still like the idea of the Fit, loved the way it drove, enjoyed the functionality and ergonomics, but I think like many noted, while I could have a dog and kid with a Fit, it's not ideal. And as I plan to keep the car forever, why not get one kitted out the way I like with the room I need.

Thanks again - I really enjoyed the fitfreak forums!

Curtis

 

I agree with you man.
I laughed and enjoyed the comment in this thread about the fit owner that sits in the line to pick up his / her child at school with all the enormous SUVs around his Fit. I think this is cool. I don't like the gigantic SUVs either unless they are really needed. I think some people use it as a status symbol - I guess. If you have 1 child do you really need a Yukon??

Our situation is myself , my wife , and our eight month old daughter in the baby seat. We were looking at CRV's also because we travel and I wanted a "more comfortable ride". But, it really is fine with the 3 of us if I pack right. The first time was rough on a vacation, but I have packed better on subsequent trips and it is fine. There is enough room in the Fit for us with one child and we don't have any pets, just toys and luggage go with us.
Any more opinions on CRV vs. Fit for traveling ??
I was about to buy a CRV and sell the Fit, but I got to thinking , really, I only want the CRV for vacations only and traveling. I love having a Fit living in the city with one child and my wife likes it. Buy a Crv just for a more comfortable trip when we vacation? Somebody told me to rent a car when I travel....

 

Run the numbers on renting. For example, we (me, wife, 1 kid) travel 1-2 long week (i.e. including the weekends on either side) trips per year. Renting a minivan for that time costs $300-$500 depending on season. That's around $1000 per year at worst. And obviously, shopping deals on minivan vs suv vs full sized car could easily net some savings, but minivans are really best for kids because you can more easily move from the front to the back without having to stop.

Depending on the crv trim line you want, you're looking at 2000-5000 or more difference. Plus much worse fuel economy, so your operating costs go up as well. So you're looking at least 3 years minimum to get back your money. If you travel more per year, then the numbers could make it make sense, but if its less than 20 days of rental a year, stay with the small car at least from an economic point of view.

 

To add to that, I think one should factor in personal worth.

Vehicles like the CRV, Pilot, and hell, Yukons have more carrying capacity. Others, like the Prius, Insight and even Civic/Accord Hybrids (and the like) have better fuel economy. But for myself, I don't think I would enjoy them as much as I enjoy the Fit. And that, to me, is worth the difference.

 

Csb time: I talked to my neighbor the other day about stuff like home improvement and such. He said that it sucked that even though he technically has a three car garage, he didn't have space for a workshop because his expedition took up two spaces. I was washing and waxing the fit at the time but didn't think that it would be polite to point out that you don't need a full suv to haul three people.

 

Thank you for your replies and for the original starter of the thread I am glad you got your answer and made your decision PsychoPhd.

I can get a used 2008 Crv Ex-L with 44,000 for around $19,500 from a private party.
Our Fit is paid off. Also, the Fit is running great , but my wife got in a bumper accident with it and the bumper, hood, and radiator among other things needed to be replaced. The airbags did not deploy, but it says severe accident on the carfax, but really there was no damage to the frame and our Fit Sport is in very good shape. The dealer (when I was considering buying a CRV from them) said they could only give me $7000.00 for the Fit because of the accident. I really think the Fit is worth $11,500 or so. Anyway, my trade in or sale to a private party would leave me with 10,000 or so to finance for the CRV. I also am worried about rising gas prices. And , thank you about breaking down the rental for a vacation. I might really regret getting rid of the Fit because it is great in the City and we travel about 4-5 times a year to let you know. Thanks.

 

We graduated from an infant seat to forward facing Recaro harness/booster combo seat. It's wonderful and works great in the Fit.

Yes, rear facing has a safety advantage, but the rear facing convertible seats are way too bulky.

 

My wife is a peds er doc, so she sees the resulting injuries from moving to forward facing too soon. We're staying with rear facing till at least two. I do hope the seat makers will get better angles soon though, as toddlers can go much more upright, as evidenced by how upright they are in forward facing.

 

Just my opinion, but my vote would be to buy the Fit now and enjoy the more fun to drive and better mpg Fit over the CRV for a couple of years. Then once you have your first child if you see that you need more room you can sell the Fit and upgrade. Hondas hold their value so well that you really won't be losing out only keeping it for a couple years, especially if you buy the 2010 that your looking at.

 

Kid on the way, and I have a 70lbs dog.... I'll let you know in June!

 

Our fit took 2 adults and kids in their car seats (4 and 7 yr old) and a costco run

A little tight but did the trick

for short trips its ok, but i couldn't imagine doing that for long trips in teh fit

Fit is either a people hauler with litttle bags or a pickup truck with only 1 passenger

 

I have a wife, 1 child, 3 dogs (2 dachshunds, 1 sheltie) and we've all been in the Fit for a 3hr trip to Kentucky for a weekend visit with my folks. A bit cramped, but it accommodated us all fine and had room to spare in cargo space after our luggage was in.

I've hauled sod in my Fit. I've hauled a 40" tv from Best Buy. I've had a couple of bikes in it. I even hauled a mini fridge that wouldn't fit in my wife's Jeep Liberty. It's crazy what the Fit can...uh..fit.

 

you'll be fine. My dog is a bit heavier than your and my 2nd kid is 4 months now. We fit everything we need for week long getaways and more...no problems!! oh and congrats!