2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Car seat fitment in the rear of a 98 Quad Cab

[mazdarotary]

Hey guys,



I am new in these parts,as I am a 1st gen owner. I am contemplating buying a 98 Quad cab(actually Holeshotholsets truck),and I am just wondering about having a couple of car seats in the rear of the quad cab. I ask because that is the reason I want a bigger truck with doors in the rear. I have a bench seat conversion in my 92 now,and we have one child(3 yr old),but plan on having another child soon. Will I fit 2 car seats in the rear of a 98 quad cab(one being rear facing for a while) without having to pull the front seats up so my knees are on the dash?I am actually contemplating getting a brand new truck as well,but if I do that it will have to be a gasser as I can't afford a new Cummins. The deals on left over 05 quad cabs right now are very tempting especially with the free gas,extended warrenty,and free maintinence they are offering. I may not even be in the running anymore on Matt's truck,but I would still look at a 98 12V anyway if I miss out on his. They seem to be hard to find in a manual,and the quad cab 12Valve. Thanks for your time,helping out a lowly 1st genner.



Chris

92 D250 Club cab

83 RX-7 LE

79 RX-7 GS

74 RE/PU

 

[scotmartin]

Car seats don't work well at all if the child is older than 3. My brother and I both had to go to crew cabs because of the kids.

 

[wcjp]

The rear facing car seat will fit great in the middle. The rear facing seat will work ok behind the passenger. It will not work behind the driver. When upgrading from my 96' Club cab we were surprised how much room the passenger side airbag requires. No problems at all with my Megacab. I skipped on the leather and paid 36k+ tax for my Mega w/6spd & 4x4.

 

[DNewell]

I've got the extended quad cab. I've currently got a 2. 5 year old and also a 2. 5month old. I've got the older boy behind driver's seat and it's a little cramped, but if I move him to the center, he'll be just fine. The infant in the backwards car seat is just fine. The only problem is the stupid handles on the back of the seat. They get in the way of the backwards facing car seat. My wife is the only passenger and she's relatively small, so no worries on her leg room. If I move my older son to the middle, I'll have lots of leg room and he'll have a great view. I'm not a fan of the crew cab trucks, but for lots of big people, they do work better. Once I can switch to a booster seat for my older son, life will be great.

 

[JR2]

I think a lot depends on how big the car seat is. I have trouble getting my little boys rear facing car seat anywhere but the middle. Once he is foreward facing it shoudl be much easier. As for two car seats, I will let you know if Feb, but I think its going to be real tight. I can move the passenger seat foreward a bit since my wife is short, but its still going to be tight.

Lucky for me I have a Ford Excursion too, the seats fit well in there.





If it where me and I where buying a new truck to haul kids around i would look for a Mega Cab that I could afford. Shop around and get a good deal, I have always been willing to spend some extra $$ to be comfortable.

 

[mazdarotary]

The rear facing car seat will fit great in the middle. The rear facing seat will work ok behind the passenger. It will not work behind the driver. When upgrading from my 96' Club cab we were surprised how much room the passenger side airbag requires. No problems at all with my Megacab. I skipped on the leather and paid 36k+ tax for my Mega w/6spd & 4x4.

What was the sticker price of your mega cab?I think the 36 sounds like a great deal for a mega witha Cummins,6 speed,and 4wd. It is still out of my price range,but the price seems fair for what you got. I can get 1% below dealer invoice on most Dodge vehicles due to my company discount. That is one of the reasons I am looking at new,but half tons because they are giving $5000 off on 05 quad cabs now. I can esentially get $10000 off on a new quad cab now if it is an 05,along with the miles of freedom promotion it is awful tempting. Will i miss my diesel if I get a hemi?I only drive the truck for towing the camper,winters,and on weekends. I have only put 9000 miles on my Cummins in the last 16 months.

 

[wcjp]

I think the original sticker was around 42k. I couldn't find any 05's when I was looking. That was late September/early October. If you can find an 05' that fits your needs go for it. In my situation the 05's were gone. Made the decision to go with the Megacab easy. Don't regret it one bit.

 

[mazdarotary]

You were looking for an 05 quad cab with the cummins?If so I am having the same trouble finding a diesel 05 leftover. I probably can't afford one anyway so I guess it is best I can't find one. I have seen a few Cummins trucks listed locally,but they are either autos which I don't want,regular cabs,or priced over $41K which is outta sight.



Chris

 

[Delta King]

I have a 3 year old boy who rides in his car seat behind the passenger seat. I learned from one of the older children to NOT put them in the center of the rear seat when the car seat faces forward. He almost kicked the front center console through the dash. Geez, that kid is strong.

 

[DirtyDodge]

When I bought mine, Kids were not even in the plan. Now, what was originally one of my favorite toys has become a big pain in the rear. I really want a bigger cab. Dealer only wants to give me 17k for my pickup. A new one is somewhere around 38k or so. Just paid the dumb thing off... :{



Does the new quad cab, (NOT MEGA CAB) fit car seats any better? They seem to have more room.



Derek

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Like has been said above rear facing seats fit great in the middle. I've had 3 kids in the back of mine without much problem. Rear facing for the infant in the middle, a child seat behind the passenger seat and a boost behind me. Most of the time we've got the rear facing in the middle and a booster behind the passenger side.

 

[mazdarotary]

The rear facing car seat will fit great in the middle. The rear facing seat will work ok behind the passenger. It will not work behind the driver. When upgrading from my 96' Club cab we were surprised how much room the passenger side airbag requires. No problems at all with my Megacab. I skipped on the leather and paid 36k+ tax for my Mega w/6spd & 4x4.

Hey I was just pricing up a mega cab on dodges website,and there doesn't seem to be a way to skip getting the leather. How did you do that?I wish you could just get a SLT with the mega cab,but it automatically makes you chose the laramie with the mega cab.



Chris

 

[wcjp]

When I called the dealer they had one Mega fully optioned and 8 or 9 SLT's. Because of the sale I had to pick from the lot. Would've been nice to get the adjustable pedals. Locally the dealers were only carrying fully loaded leather w/auto. Most were about $50k +tax. At $36k +tax I wasn't complaining.

 

[mazdarotary]

So it looks like Holshots truck is still available,and I am serious about it now that my wife confirmed she is expecting again. Will I regret getting an older quad cab with the suicide doors,and not a newer quad cab with the front hinged doors?I just don't want to be fighting with a car seat,and cursing the truck. We have my son in his car seat in the middle of my rear bench in my 92 Club cab now,and it works,but the passengers side seat only tips back,and does not slide on the base so adjustment is tough. My wife is short at 5 feet tall,so if we need any room for a car seat it can be behind the pass seat. Do these trucks age well as far as the chassis,and such go?I am not worried about the engine at all. My 92 has 231K miles,and runs great.



Chris

Like has been said above rear facing seats fit great in the middle. I've had 3 kids in the back of mine without much problem. Rear facing for the infant in the middle, a child seat behind the passenger seat and a boost behind me. Most of the time we've got the rear facing in the middle and a booster behind the passenger side.

 

[mazdarotary]

Hey guys,



I want to re-visit this topic,as I am really in the market for a bigger truck. What I need is a truck that will hold 4 people(two kids in car seats),when we travel for camping,and everyday use,but not a everyday daily driver,and it needs to ba capable of hauling our camper,and maybe a car trailer. My wife has a Subaru for when we go out as a family,and don't need a truck(which is most of the time). I don't really need the truck just yet because our second child isn't due til August,but I am thinking about doing something soon.



Where I am now is,do I by Holshots 98 quad cab if it is still availabe(which I think it is),do I lease the Toyota Tundra double cab I test drove the other day for $291 a month,with $450 down,and give up on my diesel ownership?Do I get a new or slightly used dodge 3rd gen gasser,or diesel?Do I make my own old school crew cab from an old surplus 80's vintage crew cab with my 92 drive train?



I was leaning towards the Toyota because it is a great deal on a super nice truck,and its a well equipped 4 door 4wd truck,but I am reluctant to get into another payment for 3 years,and not own it at the end,when we have a high mortgage now.



I like the idea of buying an older truck for somewhat cheap,mainly because I don't drive very much,and I don't need the best of everything. On the other hand if I get an older truck like a 3rd gen gas,or diesel I am looking at anywhere from $20k on up,and a payment on a used car that would be higher than the Toyota lease. Maybe by the end of 06 a used 03 diesel will be a lot cheaper than they are now,but who knows.



A nice used 98 like Holshots truck would be a bit more easy on the wallet,but I am concerned I will regret getting a smallish cab like the 98's have opposed to a 3rd gen of the very large Toyota.



What do you guys think?I don't drive my truck much(10K miles in the last 18 months),and only need the people hauling capabilities part-time. Keep in mind I don't have gobs of dough with the big mortgage,and such,but I can sell my 92 to get back atleast a small portion of what ever financing route I take. Thanks in advance,and please reply with more thoughts on the 2nd gen cab size related to kids,and car seats.



Chris

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I don't have any problem with my 98 quad cab with my 2 kids. My oldest turns 6 this weekend so she's in a booster seat now versus a child seat but I did have her in a child seat for a while while our infant was in her rear facing seat. Over the holidays we drove to florida and back with the 2 kids in the back and the wife and I up front with no issues - we did it straight through both ways. I even sometimes have my 75 lb Siberian Husky sitting back there as well. JMHO

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

The only way I see your situation is- damned if you do(lack of funds), damned if you don't(space). For me, I couldn't see spending a ton of money that I didn't really have for a little extra room, on a truck that I'd hardly ever use. If the wife could give up a little leg room for the second car seat, I'd say go for the 98. JMO.

 

[mazdarotary]

The only way I see your situation is- damned if you do(lack of funds), damned if you don't(space). For me, I couldn't see spending a ton of money that I didn't really have for a little extra room, on a truck that I'd hardly ever use. If the wife could give up a little leg room for the second car seat, I'd say go for the 98. JMO.

I forgot to mention my wife is only 5' tall so she does not need a lot of leg room.

 

[JR2]

I forgot to mention my wife is only 5' tall so she does not need a lot of leg room.



Mine is only 5'2 and she has a heck of a time getting the car seat in and out of the truck. Make sure you have good running boards on the truck.

 

[FastEddie]

3 Carseats in 98.5 Quad Cab

We have a 3 year old and 18 month old twins. We put all three forward facing in the back (oldest in the middle) of our 98. 5 Quad Cab without much trouble. Leg room in the front is a bit tighter with the car seats, but tolerable. All 3 car seats are Cosco Alpha & Omegas that will work for them up to 40 pounds when they can go into boosters. You need to get car seats that have a straight back to them, otherwise the top will hit the back window glass and the seats will not secure properly. Also, you MUST use the metal seat belt locking clips to secure the car seats because the 98 model shoulder belts DO NOT have the racheting lock mechanism to secure the car seats. We will have to look at a new truck when our twins get over 40 pounds and move into the booster seats. The reason being is that with 3 kids in boosters, there is only a lap belt in the middle which CANNOT be used with a booster. The only car seat on the market that will allow a child over 40 pounds to be secured by a lap belt in the 40-80 pound range is the Britax Husky (which we use in our Suburban). It will NOT work in the Ram because it does not have a straight back and hits the glass. If you only have 2 kids, then this is not a problem and you can secure them on either side. As for carseats that are rear facing, we had the same experience as others had posted. Works best in the middle where there is no seatback to hit. If on either side, which we had to do because we had twins, you will be hugging the steering wheel and knees will be just inches from the dash. We didn't travel much with the Dodge until our twins turned 1 and could sit forward facing. We are sticking with our 98. 5 as long as we can since it only has 202,000 miles and runs like a champ! In fact we just bought a 33' Ameri-camp Quad-bunk fifthwheel to pull with it and travel with the kids. Hopefully the money I save sticking with the 98. 5 will allow me to save up for a Mega Cab when the kids out grow the Quad Cab! Hope this helps your decision!