Car Seats (2 Viewers)

[LI FJ40]

We're kicking around the idea of getting an old Cruiser for a weekend Home Depot run rig and something to use going to the beach and local use.

We have two little ones, a 5 year old in a booster and 1 year old in a rear facing seat. My wife is pretty adamant that we need a LATCH system meaning 2002 and newer. Since I really only want to spend a few thousand dollars on the Cruiser that kind of puts us older than a 2002.

Does anyone have knowledge of adding LATCH to an older one or something OTHER than just using the seat belt?

 

[Ali FJ80]

its doable

01+ LATCH to 98-00?

 

[arcteryx]

Well, how did we all survive before LATCH?? There are many safe vehicles before 2002/LATCH.

You could weld in some tethers on the bottom but putting them on the back of the seat would be difficult.

If you only have a few grand on a Land Cruiser, 100s are way out of that budget. A decent one will be 8-9K minimum. A better option for safety and budget may be a 4runner??

 

[yeti in ga]

I ran seats in mine (99) both types and my kids did fine. As long as you are not taking the seats in and out , you can put them in secure them properly using the seat belt attachment (seat belt will lock in place), go to your local fire station and have them double check if you want that peace of mind. If you are taking them in and out , that is where the problem starts.. then do latches.

When I was a kid we would snap the seat belt together to make that buzzer stop and then sit on top of them.

 

[camino70]

I don't believe the latches are safer than seat belt secured car seats when secured properly. I believe the advent of latches is more to keep it simple for end users.

I'd still trust most users here with a seat belt system more than an "average" American using the latch.

If she's still nervous about it, take it somewhere like a fire station for them to double check your work.


Edit: not sure how I completely missed yetis response, sorry.

 

[aging fleet]

Is it even possible to find a 100 for a 'few thousand dollars' that isn't a total basket case?

 

[arcteryx]

Is it even possible to find a 100 for a 'few thousand dollars' that isn't a total basket case?

That was my point above, certainly nothing that I would entrust my wife/kids in. If you find one under 7K that doesn't have 400K, lots of rust, or a salvage title, you'd be doing very good. But to each their own. The OP will need to up their budget or look for something else besides a 100.

 

[ScubaJon]

I got mine last year for 5k with 189K miles.

1 owner all maint done at dealer.

The down side was hail damage cracked windshield and it needed a timing belt. I got it as a beater not a mall queen I was and am still happy but I think I have more in parts than I do in the truck now LOL. Home made bumpers rims tires tbelt water pump rebooting cv/s

 

[TXLX100]

The latch system wasn't designed to be safer necessarily, it was designed to be easier to install and reduce bad installs of car seats. I've had cars with and without and don't see any difference in safety as long as the seat is properly installed. I was actually more worried with the latch install since the latch is kind of buried and hard to tell if it's 100% secure just by looking at it. I'd spend my extra money buying a better car seat that includes side head restraint.

In my 98, I make sure the car seatbelt is extended all the way so it will lock the extension and use the cargo loops behind the seats top keep the top of the child seat a bit more secure.

 

[agaisin]

just so ya know, 100 series with latch only have it in 2 of 3 seats in 2nd row (not on the fold down passenger side seat).


Sent from my iPhone

 

[camino70]

just so ya know, 100 series with latch only have it in 2 of 3 seats in 2nd row (not on the fold down passenger side seat).


Sent from my iPhone

Good catch.

 

[cap80]

Since we are talking about safety.....Recently saw a spot on the news where they showed that kids wearing winter jackets can slip out of properly adjusted 5 point harness child seats. While the same test without jacket was fine. The jacket insulation creates enough give for the kid's torso to slip out of the shoulder restraints.
So latch or not take off the kid's jacket.

 

[arcteryx]

I got mine last year for 5k with 189K miles.

1 owner all maint done at dealer.

The down side was hail damage cracked windshield and it needed a timing belt. I got it as a beater not a mall queen I was and am still happy but I think I have more in parts than I do in the truck now LOL. Home made bumpers rims tires tbelt water pump rebooting cv/s

And you made my point. If you can find something for under 7K, you will have to put at least 2-3K into it to bring it roadworthy. Purchase price is just a portion of owning a Cruiser ( or any vehicle), maintenance is where it gets you. If you can barely afford the purchase price, you almost assuredly cannot afford the maintenance of it.

 

[cap80]

Link:
Car seat alert: Could wearing a winter coat endanger your child?

 

[bctlex]

And you made my point. If you can find something for under 7K, you will have to put at least 2-3K into it to bring it roadworthy. Purchase price is just a portion of owning a Cruiser ( or any vehicle), maintenance is where it gets you. If you can barely afford the purchase price, you almost assuredly cannot afford the maintenance of it.

^ This. Often time we forget that a cheaper vehicle may need a few things (same principal applies to any vehicle, not just 100). I bought mine with the understanding it need base lining and some small (cheaper) items, but it need 2 major (expensive) items: tires and timing belt and water pump. The LC was otherwise in great condition. I am fine with that because the total cost still make sense for me. I also like to be able to pick my own tires. I can save some cash by working on some of them on my spare time. I think I get a pretty great deal out of it. I been semi-seriously looking for another LC to replace my old dd, and I havent seen anything under 7K that does not need anything from the get go.

My standard maybe a bit different than everyone's else, but I need to make sure my wife and son is in a decent and safe vehicle. If it is just a trail rig, only driven over weekend for off-roading, then maybe the overall condition of the vehicle does not matter too much.

Also regarding LATCH, I believe there is a weight limit - (55-65 lbs?) just google it. My kid with his extra large and heavy seat is surprising heavier than I thought. Seat belts is the way to go for securing the kid seat, imo. I mean seat belts is designed to secure adults so no worries about weight there.

 

[kelly saad]

I removed my 3rd row seats and seat belts. I used one of the old seat belt clips (the metal piece on the belt that you click into the lock) and melted the plastic off it with a torch so I could access the slot. Then I used one of the brackets that held the 3rd row seat belt bolted into the floor, and bolted that bracket right on top of the rear seat bracket on the front fender well. Now I have a bracket to attach my clip onto, and I attach the other clip on the old seatbelt lock piece and click it into the seatbelt lock, then cinch down the strap. I use the cargo bracket for the back strap, its at a little angle but looks ok. It works great and Im using the original parts that can hold an adult securely so I think it must be fine. Its the only thing I could figure out.

 

[RyanStl]

Honestly, LATCH isn't what you need, it is Tether. The rear face carseat only needs the seatbelt for install. They fit just fine if properly installed using the seatbelt. Tether is what you need for your forward facing children. That holds the headrest back limiting forward momentum and messed up neck. IIRC, the '01 model was the first to get Tether.

My wife is huge on this carseat stuff. She reads the carseat forums like I do Mud. When we were looking at a 200 LC she heard you can have aftermarket Tether installed, but when she called around no Toyota dealer would attempt to install such a thing due to liability. I have a friend that uses cargo holds in his 80 series for Tether because it doesn't have an official Tether system. I am sure it is fine.

 

[RyanStl]

Oh BTW, the Tether in my '02 is a pain in the ass. There is one smack dab in the back of the middle row. It is kind of a cool idea that Toyota made it rotate to service any of the three middle seats, but it is a bitch getting the hook in an out. Also, that limits you to one forward facing seat.

If this type of thing really matters the Honda Odyssey is what you really want. We had 6 car seats installed at one time. I have five kids with four of them 6 and under, at the moment. The main family mobile is the Odyssey and one of the main reasons I switch from a two year old Subaru XV was to get the third row in the Land Cruiser. The LC works for us even though the Odyssey is the best for kid carrying.

 

[hoser]

I've installed many different car seats and right now the Britax with ClickTight is my favorite. No LATCH system needed, their ClickTight system is just as easy, IMO. The seat fits the 100 series and taller kids well too.

Fast Forward to the 2:00 mark

 

[tabraha]

Wow @hoser haven't seen that before. That is pretty slick. I've gotten pretty good at moving car seats around from LATCH to non-latch over the last 7 years but I really like that. My vintage 911 requires the metal locking clip, I wonder if click tight would negate the use of that?