I have to ask, since I'm going to be a dad!!! The new addition to our family should arrive around July 28th. This will be our first, so we're excited as can be!!!

Now, my honey-do list just got a lot longer... Wish me luck as I am going to try and have a RUNNING 914 before the baby comes around.

Just gotta build a motor, put the front end back together, wire for the Megasquirt, tune it, etc, etc...



Tom - Proud soon-to-be Dad!

i am going to say no with the original seat belts because they do not lock (like the ones in modern cars if you pull them all the way out (try it).

the middle console can have a third belt set up but it will wreck the centre cushion.

not to say I do not do it. I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old and they have been in the car many times.

T

i get mine pretty secure with just the seat belt. i use the BRITAX. it's a little more expensive, but it is the best one out there. of the three different car seats we own, it fits the best because of it's small base. the britax also has a place to slide the belt through so that it will lock. i have plans to add latch points to my 914 this winter. i will post pictures when i am done.

congratulations

Congrats! My four and a half year old loves to ride in my car. Of course she only needs a booster seat.

Congrats..
I have a four year old and he is stillin a car seat. Bigger then the standard infant one, but a car seat the same. Kind of concerns me thinking about him riding in it. Every car we have had over the past 15 years has had air bags, etc so I have felt more comfortable I guess. That's not to say I couldn't die in the steel cage I drive around in now... I guess kind of a false sense of security..

Yeah, it was really just a half-serious question. We have a new Passat and other more safe vehicles, so the child will be riding in those cars.

I just wanted to announce that we'll be having our first child!



Tom

QUOTE (Tom Perso @ Jan 5 2006, 05:09 PM)

I just wanted to announce that we'll be having our first child!

Congrats.

QUOTE (Tom Perso @ Jan 5 2006, 05:09 PM)

I just wanted to announce that we'll be having our first child! Tom

Good for you, Tom.

Your life will now change forever....

QUOTE (Tom Perso @ Jan 5 2006, 07:09 PM)

I just wanted to announce that we'll be having our first child! Tom

Congrats on your impending expanded family!

Your best bet is to take a car seat and your 914 to the fire station and they'll tell you for sure (if you truely want to know). I've read statistics that a huge percentage of people don't even have their car seats installed correctly, but I'm not sure where that came from, so take it with a grain of salt.

Kids here (Colorado) have to be in a booster seat until they're 55" tall or 6 years old (I think), but I've read *experts!* suggest for optimal safety, use a car/booster seat until they're 80 lbs! That would have kept my kids in car seats until 7th grade.

Anyway, I digress... you really just wanted to announce impending daddome! Sorry for the yada yada yada...

congrats Tom! cheers!

It is possible

Sorry for the Just wanted to post these.

Congratulations! (poor guy)

And please take the kid for a ride in the teener. I did it all the time with my 2 sons. Secure the base using the metal clip provided with the seat to lock in the belt and hit the road.

These are good ideas while the kids are real small, but the real question was when we had our second kid. Had to go and buy a 911 to get two back seats! Try to get a child seat that fits back there, this was before the days before Porsche decided to offer any that fit - it took a lot of measuring and modification of child seat bases to get an acceptable fit.

Now both kids drive themselves and it's been back to the 914-6 for just my wife Julie and me! Enjoy those early days, they pass all to quickly!

I'm pretty sure my wife wouldn't allow having our kid ride in the 914. She's not even real keen on having the kid ride in my E30 BMW. I can see her point (I guess). So, for now - We'll stick with hauling the kid around in the Passat and my 2000 Dakota.

But, I still need it running so I can "get away" for a bit.

Tom

QUOTE (TROJANMAN @ Jan 5 2006, 04:44 PM)

use the BRITAX. it's a little more expensive, but it is the best one out there. of the three different car seats we own, it fits the best because of it's small base. the britax also has a place to slide the belt through so that it will lock.

We have three Britax seats and they are the best. It's the brand that makes the factory Porsche child seats.

I'd keep the baby haulin' limited to the 5 star crash rated minivan. Wait until booster seat time. Just my .02.

Congrats on the baby!

Congrats, Tom! Finish your work on that teener before he's a toddler 'cause they're a handfull!

I'm one of those firefighters that SharonG mentioned. I'm also a CERTIFIED CPS Tech/Instructor. (CPS is short for Child Passenger Safety). Important note: not all firefighters are certified any more than those at the hospitals who insist on seeing your carseat prior to you leaving with your newborn!

The answer to your question is yes. Since there are no airbags in the teener, it is perfectly acceptable to put the carseat in it, provided it is properly installed. The type of seatbelts make this a challenge, but there is a techique that works using a locking clip. Installing latch points would make you a God from my perspective, but something to consider....God forbid you ever crash that teener and the anchor point(s) fails, you'll have no legal recourse. It'll be a bigger PITA to use the seat belt, but you're better off in the worst case scenario.

For everybody reading (stepping up on my soapbox), I highly recommend that anyone who drives and has kids (regardless of vehicle or ego) seek out a carseat technician to check their carseats. These folks not only check seats, but they offer tips and tricks for safety and comfort of your children. Stuff that we as parents often don't know to ask about.

I'll follow with another post with web sites of where you can find CPS checks in your areas.

As promised:

National Highway/Transportation Safety Administration . Info can be found here in the quick search drop down under Child Passenger Safety.

Safekids Worldwide is the worldwide organization that found the CPS certification courses in conjunction with AAA. This is, hands down, the best resource.

www.cpsboard.org is a good place to pose questions to techs.

Tom, 2 quick things:

1. The technique I spoke of is called "belt-shortening". Ask for it by name. Don't worry it doesn't involve cutting or altering the belt.

2. Remember it's not safe to put a child in ANY convertible with the top off. Immature airways and eyes are too easily damaged by fast-moving particles.

Hope this helps. Sorry for the soapbox, this is a passion of mine.

The reason I'm not cool with a small child in a 914 is the low height of the cars, especially considering the proliferation of much larger (SUV)vehicles nowdays. I wouldn't want my kid in my 914 and have some moron in a Navigator doing a real world test. Of course it's also sort of situational, here in rural TN, with very little traffic it's probably a safer move than in a metro area.

Yes they 914 has excellent crashworthyness, but not as good as most newer sedans, or family vans.

How about lots of padding... foam rubber, or some such, in the front trunk?



Hey, it's not an X-19!



M

Actually, I was thinking of putting a child seat in, buying a case of the expanding foam, and making a safety bubble around it. Maybe if I get cute, I'll carpet it.



That doesn't take care of the child behind the wheel though...

Tom

Congratulations Tom!!!

Lots of folks already put some good advice in. I have our car seat mounted in the back of my Turbo-brick and use the "clip" to lock the lap portion of the belt through the seat. The inertia reel is in the shoulder length, and can still move, but the lap belt portion is locked firmly and holds the seat strongly and securely.

We had the "car seat guy" look over the installation and he made a few good suggestions too. Definitely find the local expert. They know their stuff.

A friend of mine might sell me a used Recaro booster seat. Wouldn't that be perfect? :-)

Right now, Sara is still not quite big enough to fit in a regular seat, but she's already got the driving posture down pat!!

(this pic was about 3-1/2 months ago, so ya never know!

Again, congrats Tom!!


Oh, and get crackin' on the car. You have even more to do than I did!! And it's really true, you will so little time once the baby is there, you'll think an uninterupted 30 minutes is spectacular! That is, of course, if you're not already sleeping...

-Josh2

cute

now get your car ready for may 20th...........

Josh, that picture is fantastic!

Since my E30 has rear shoulder belts, I may look into the clip for those so I can take the kid around in that car. I normally just drive my BMW since it's more fun and better on gas than the truck, so I'd like to keep it that way.

Thanks for all the great advice and well-wishes. We are so excited (and nervous).



Tom