[JPS911]

I'm posting this just for closure and for the next dolt trying to do what I am.

I read up on installation, including watching some videos (people actually sit or stand on the seats as they install them to get them snug enough, which i never realized). I was convinced the Radian was going to fit. I took my car to Albee Baby (Manhattan) and parked out front for 2-3 hours while i went back and forth trying seats. The Radian was cool in that it folded, had a steel alloy frame, and fit to 80 lbs. but it didn't fit rear facing at all in my car.

I ended up picking (delivered tomorrow, so will have to verify the install) the Britax Diplomat. I started by fitting the Boulevard, and when i discoverd to my very great surprise that it fit, also tried the Diplomat for the side impact protection. Ironically, I had tried to fit the Diplomat a couple of months ago before I had done any research at all, but didn't understand how seats were installed so I thought it didn't fit.

I would never have bet in a million years it turned out the way it did. You can only try them out. Each seat reclines differently, which is especially important in rear facing. Luckily my wife is short and she can ride with the passenger seat all the way forward, so there is room. Otherwise I'm not sure what we would have ended up doing.

Net net: Read up, try them out yourself. If you have a hard to fit car, there is really no other option.

Best of luck, thanks to this board as a resource, esp. Susan.

JPS911

P.S. Next battle: 1995 Porsche 911 cabriolet...any suggestions on which might be a good one to start with?

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Britax Boulevard - Click for more info It is all about the wings with the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat - head and torso safety wings help keep your child from harm in a side-impact crash. And this matters - side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for 6 - 14 year-old children. Of course, the safety wings are only one of the many safety features that the Britax Boulevard offers: built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, a push button release LATCH system with Versa-Tether®, and a sculpted base, ensuring an easy installation with a secure fit.

	Britax Diplomat - Click for more info The Britax Diplomat convertible car seat is a smaller version of the Britax Boulevard. It offers the same general features and Side Impact Protection as the deluxe Britax Boulevard convertible seat, but with a lower max weight capacity, seat height, and seat width than the Boulevard. The Diplomat provides top notch Britax safety and comfort for your child, even in the back of a 'lil Mini Cooper.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.