small kids in Mustangs

66Satellite

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Feb 6, 2003

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Sep 7, 2004

#1

• Sep 7, 2004

• #1

Is it hard to get kids in and out of their car seats in the back seats of Mustangs? And do they complain that they can't see anything out of the small back windows? The 05 back seats look like they might have a bit more room, but they also look pretty deep--wonder how the car seats will fit back there. I assume these seats are latch equipped...

 

spectravp

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Apr 29, 2004

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Sep 7, 2004

#2

• Sep 7, 2004

• #2

It is a pain in the ars to get little kids in and out of a Stang. I hate to say it. Visibility is limited for kids. They do complain. But, the days you have the Mustang out without the kids and the only thing screaming is 3rd gear, makes it all worthwhile.

 

351CJ

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Dec 11, 2002

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Sep 7, 2004

#3

• Sep 7, 2004

• #3

One of the reasons why the market for 2 door cars keeps shrinking.

Tell your kids to lean their heads back and look at the sky.

 

66Satellite

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Feb 6, 2003

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Sep 7, 2004

#4

• Sep 7, 2004

• #4

351CJ said:

One of the reasons why the market for 2 door cars keeps shrinking.

Tell your kids to lean their heads back and look at the sky.

Click to expand...

Yeah, but people have always had kids. I refuse to buy a minivan. I'm thinking getting a vert is the way to go anyway...

 

T

TomServo92

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Dec 22, 2003

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Sep 7, 2004

#5

• Sep 7, 2004

• #5

I only have one kid, a 12yo daughter. Almost everyday I get asked the question "Daddy, when are you going to buy that new Mustang?"

 

thehemi

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Dec 2, 2002

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Sep 7, 2004

#6

• Sep 7, 2004

• #6

That's why you give the wife the 4-door
and yourself the Mustang. Let her do the
main hauling and just use the Mustang at
times when it's necessary.

 

D

Dutch

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Jun 6, 2002

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Chandler, AZ

Sep 7, 2004

#7

• Sep 7, 2004

• #7

I have a 2-year-old and a 3-year old. It's no problem getting them in there, the problem is legroom once they're in. Those car seats take up alot of space. The real problem was when they were little and had to face backwards. You could never fit one behind the driver's seat (if a normal human is driving), and I always had to put the passenger seat all the way forward to put my kid behind. My poor wife.

I had my Mustang from just before my first kid's birth until almost her 4th birthday. It's doable as a child hauler, but not ideal. THe new one, with the extra inch of rear legroom, would be much better with front-facing seats, but rear-facing would still be a PITA.

 

blazinsteed

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Dec 27, 2002

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florida

Sep 7, 2004

#8

• Sep 7, 2004

• #8

actually the new mustang has some advantages. More headroom, a deeper seat, (it does have the latches btw) the seat belt does not go between the seat and the c pillar anymore, and finally the latch is at the top of the seat now instead of the bottom where it is hard to reach.

Roger

 

SVTdriver

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Sep 7, 2004

#9

• Sep 7, 2004

• #9

My parents used to load all 4 of us kids in the backseat of an 82 gl stang.

 

351CJ

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Dec 11, 2002

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Sep 8, 2004

#10

• Sep 8, 2004

• #10

blazinsteed said:

actually the new mustang has some advantages. More headroom, a deeper seat,

Roger

Click to expand...

Not quite, Roger, although the new Mustang has 1/2" more front seat headroom, it actually has 1/2" less rear seat headroom (35.0" vs. 35.5") according to Ford dealer order guide.

The '05 supposedly has 1.1" more rear seat leg room, but with the front seats all the way back I don't see it.
Neither the 99-04 nor the '05 have much of anything for rear seat leg room.

 

GT-03

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Dec 12, 2003

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Sep 8, 2004

#11

• Sep 8, 2004

• #11

This is my experience with my first SN95 Mustang, but it is probably not much different than what will be true with the new S197 Mustang.

For infants, you can't fit a rear facing child seat in the back. This is, mostly, because there isn't a center seat position and thus no center seatbelt. On my Civic, which has a small rear seat too, there is a center position, and a rear facing child seat will fit with the front of the infant seat fitting between the front seat backs, sort of overhanging the front console.

For older kids, I use a back-less booster seat. IMHO, you really don't need much "boost" to get the shoulder harness aligned with a kid's body. The rear seat is almost a "kid seat" all by itself. Also, with a booster seat without a back, you get to keep the maximum amount of leg room possible in the rear seat.

As for viewing, my kid doesn't complain much. However, he does complain about not having a switch to raise/lower the rear side windows by himself. Unfortunately, Ford was too cheap to install passenger power window switches on the rear side windows in convertibles. But they still put a lock-out switch on the driver's door to disable the non-existent rear passenger switches.

 

spectravp

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Apr 29, 2004

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Sep 8, 2004

#12

• Sep 8, 2004

• #12

I know... that lock out switch is stupid. The only thing it locks out is the passenger front side, which is where an adult would be seated anyway. What kind of friends do you have that would require you to prevent them from playing with the window? Any friend that has a slice of pizza in their wallet belongs in the backseat.

 

blazinsteed

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Dec 27, 2002

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florida

Sep 8, 2004

#13

• Sep 8, 2004

• #13

That is true but that why the seat is deeper. When I sat in the back seat I had more room than in the backseat of my mach.

Roger

 

The Shape

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Jan 11, 2002

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East ARKANSAS Delta

Sep 8, 2004

#14

• Sep 8, 2004

• #14

The thought of spilled drinks and ground in french fries along with puking and wiping boogers on the stang interior has me thinking I would keep a beater just to haul the kids in!

 

66Satellite

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Feb 6, 2003

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Sep 8, 2004

#15

• Sep 8, 2004

• #15

The Shape said:

The thought of spilled drinks and ground in french fries along with puking and wiping boogers on the stang interior has me thinking I would keep a beater just to haul the kids in!

Click to expand...

The leather interior has a vinyl back seat, right? Seems like the way to go.

 

GT-03

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Dec 12, 2003

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Sep 8, 2004

#16

• Sep 8, 2004

• #16

66Satellite said:

The leather interior has a vinyl back seat, right? Seems like the way to go.

Click to expand...

Very true, with only a rare exception since '98.

However, my Jeep has a leather rear seat, and leather isn't all the difficult to clean up. Unlike fabric, and like vinyl, it doesn't tend to absorb stuff very quickly. So, can be wiped up rather easily.

 

XtorT'r

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Jun 11, 2003

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Minnesota, YAAA

Sep 8, 2004

#17

• Sep 8, 2004

• #17

The day I have kids I will be very envious of you guys getting to keep them with your kids.

 

B

Bdharn

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Dec 8, 2003

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Sep 8, 2004

#18

• Sep 8, 2004

• #18

we have a 1 year old and a 01 vert no probs now we have a full front facing seat and he has plenty of room later as stated above he can just use a booster and the reg seat. most of the time we ride in the F150 anyway much more comfy for all of us. The stang is for me and the wife. You still have to have freedom once the kids come.

 

S

Stunta

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Sep 8, 2004

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Sep 8, 2004

#19

• Sep 8, 2004

• #19

Someone said something about the 2 door market slowly disapearing... That is exactly what happened with Dodge. Their new Charger (can be seen in Hot Rod Magazine this month) ONLY comes in 4 door, even with their 5.7 liter Hemi version. I hope that Mustangs stay 2 door though... But the future (not near-future) doesn't seem to bright after seeing that.

 

GT-03

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Dec 12, 2003

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Sep 9, 2004

#20

• Sep 9, 2004

• #20

We might see more 4-doors like the Mazda RX-8.