3 smalls in the back- car seats and car recommendations please!

[honeybunny]

I'm expecting no3 in Dec and now have the dilemma of how do I fit everyone in the car. I currently drive a BMW 3series estate and have ds1+2 in maxi cosi priori seats. There is definitely no space for a baby in the middle, infact cant even get the middle seat down between them. ds1 is small and slight for his age and if he continues to follow his 9th centile for growth he wont make the required 15kg until he's 5yrs (Oct 05). Have looked at lots of different car seat options but all stage 1 seats seem to be much of a muchness in the width dept, so will it have to be a new (2nd hand)car? Ouch!

SO..... which one?
I love my BMW and would love a 5series equivalent, but is it big enough? What about a merc estate? Dont know what model... Cs or Es whats the difference? and are they big enough?
How about a Saab estate? or a volvo estate?
Absolutely hate 4x4s and PCs, and wont even consider them... besides ds1 and myself get really car sick in high wheel-base vehicles.

Has anyone got any recommendations?

Can you get DS1 into a high backed booster seat which has a 5-point harness? You can fit a stage 0 seat, one of the birth - 4 yrs seats and a high back booster in the back of our new Laguna but you wouldn't be able to undo any of the seat belts! It has 3 3-point seatbelts.

OK Lizs I have looked on Google and cannot find anything about new legislation, only current rules. Sorry. But you are not being a fussy mum, safety of yr children is paramount surely. We need more info about the new rules - can anyone help??

BTW fennel - 3 x britax seats in the back?? do you mean the club class with their own seatbelts (am crap at the weights, sorry)? If so I am really impressed. How come we didn't try the Astra, I wonder.

Soupdragon-havent found a booster style seat that is narrower than our current maxi cosis, and suitable for his weight. He'd be fine with a 3pt harness as long as he's big and heavy enough for it. His height isnt really the problem, he is maintaining a 50th centile for that, he's just skinny, so the seat belt cutting in round the throat bit shouldnt be a prob.

i've got to fit a high back booster, 2nd stage/high back booster (depends on dd2 weight gain over the next 9months) plus a baby seat in the new style astra. not looking forward to that!!

we have bmw 5 series estate and yes, I think you'd fit 3 seats in no problem, if you decide to test drive one, take the seats with you to see if they fit

Been to look at our car seats, we have a Britax eclipse, a Britax club class extra, and another very similar (can't remember the name of it). They are all the fairly sturdy type with own 5-point harness but NOT the extra large ones with arm-rests which some of our friends with fewer children have. It's just a 10 year old astra hatchback but we tested fitting all 3 car seats before we bought it. It doesn't look that big but the seats do fit.

We also use it with one Britax todder seat, one baby seat and one high back booster across the back. that works fine too.

just remembered that some friends of ours have bought a VW Passat Estate and they fitted two second stage seats and a booster in the back of theirs - the Passat seems HUGE! So maybe worth looking at? Nice car too although maybe not as 'snob' (in a nice way ) as the BMW.

Checked out friend's bmw 5 series estate today. She currently has 2 Maxi Cosi Prioris with booster seat comfortably in between.

Guess we'll have to start saving, LIZS!

We have a mazda premacy. I have 3 car seats in the back. you need to look out for 2 "proper" seat belts as you cant always fot in the middle seat on just a lap belt. I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if I am repeating myself.
We got this car because it has tonnes of room in the boot too and good head hight for v tall DH