# Britax Marathon RF in Corolla?



## joybird (Feb 2, 2006)

Will it fit? My older Roundabout has expired and I want to get the Marathon. Dd is 29 lbs so I'd like to keep her rear-facing awhile longer.

I'm afraid to order it online since I have no idea whether it will fit. (There's no BRU near me to try one out.) Anyone have a RF Marathon that fits into a smaller sedan? I'd dearly appreciate any advice/experience.


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## alisonh916 (Jul 26, 2007)

Good for you for wanting to keep her rear-facing for longer! much safer that way. The marathons are great seats but are bulky and in a corolla will be a tight squeeze RF, but can be done! if there isn't someone who is really tall in the front seats, or if you can move the passenger seat all the way up and put the seat in the outboard position (although center is safest). The front seats can touch the back of the carseat, but can't jam against it. I am a child passenger safety technician and this is just speaking from experience helping people get their carseats in safely!


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## Thandiwe (May 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alisonh916* 
I am a child passenger safety technician and this is just speaking from experience helping people get their carseats in safely!

Alison-

In reading this, I had a question, kind of unrelated. We always kept my son rear-facing past the one year mark without any trouble. His feet would touch the seat, but I didn't think anything of it. Now a friend of mine who's baby is only 9 mos old has turned her baby forward facing because, she claims, 1) the baby is now 23 pounds (aren't they supposed to be 20+ pounds AND a year old??), and 2) baby's feet touch the backseat (I haven't personally witnessed this and the baby's not exceptionally tall). Is she in the wrong about this? When it came up and she mentioned the foot thing, I was at a loss and missed an opportunity to say anything. What's the truth to this??


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## joybird (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm not Allison







but I know that the legs touching the seat is not a problem. Legs can easily bend if they need to in an accident. And either way, you can fix a broken leg but you can't fix a broken neck.

You should try to convince your friend to switch her dc back to rf, at least get her to research it if you can.


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## jerawo (Jan 28, 2003)

I had our boulevard rf in my '98 Corolla with no problems. The front passenger seat was a little squished, but there was still room for an adult to ride. We chose to put it behind the passenger side so anyone could drive the car.


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## Connor's Mom (Aug 13, 2005)

What about installing it in the center position? This may allow front seat riders a little more leg room.


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## nascarbebe (Nov 4, 2006)

Our Marathon is in our Nissan Altima, which I'm guessing are similar in size, and we had DS rear facing for up to about 18 mos. and it worked fine. I think people used to complain about not being able to see over the old style. Not sure though. I had read about kids not being able to see from the sides but our car seat, 2006 model, doesn't have that prob.

I would recommend that if you can put the seat in the middle it will fit much better and will be safer for your baby anyway. Ours is now front facing in the middle and it's perfect.


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## jerawo (Jan 28, 2003)

You can't put the seat rf in the middle, unless you want both front seats adjusted all the way to the front. We chose to put it on the passenger side, so only one of the seats had to be all the way at the front and a tall or short person could drive.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

We have a rf boulevard (same shell as marathon) in a civic.

-Angela


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bens_mommy_2005* 
Alison-

In reading this, I had a question, kind of unrelated. We always kept my son rear-facing past the one year mark without any trouble. His feet would touch the seat, but I didn't think anything of it. Now a friend of mine who's baby is only 9 mos old has turned her baby forward facing because, she claims, 1) the baby is now 23 pounds (aren't they supposed to be 20+ pounds AND a year old??), and 2) baby's feet touch the backseat (I haven't personally witnessed this and the baby's not exceptionally tall). Is she in the wrong about this? When it came up and she mentioned the foot thing, I was at a loss and missed an opportunity to say anything. What's the truth to this??

Your friend is wrong and putting her baby at serious risk.

20lbs and 1 yr are BARE minimums. No worries with legs touching.

My dd is 3 and still rear facing. Legs bent. No problem.

-Angela


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## J2 (Aug 12, 2006)

We have the boulevard in our 2000 corolla in the middle position. The seats do not have to be all the way up in our car. However, the carseat techs we went to did not even hardly want to try to put it in the center position because of a slight hump in the vehicle. So they put it on the side, which then makes the seat have to go all the way up. No fun. We reinstalled it in the center and my husband got a tight install. Unfortunately not completely rock solid, but moves less than an inch. It was more rock solid on the side, but I do not like having him on the side as I am constantly afraid another car will run right into him.

Our next thing to figure out is how to tether it rearfacing in our corolla. The carseat techs wouldn't do it because we didn't have our owner's manual for the car so they are unsure if it can be tethered to the passenger seats track (the metal track the seat moves along).


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## WhaleinGaloshes (Oct 9, 2006)

I have a RF'ing Marathon in my Nissan Sentra, which can't be any bigger than the Corolla. I would bet it will fit.


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## alisonh916 (Jul 26, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bens_mommy_2005* 
Alison-

In reading this, I had a question, kind of unrelated. We always kept my son rear-facing past the one year mark without any trouble. His feet would touch the seat, but I didn't think anything of it. Now a friend of mine who's baby is only 9 mos old has turned her baby forward facing because, she claims, 1) the baby is now 23 pounds (aren't they supposed to be 20+ pounds AND a year old??), and 2) baby's feet touch the backseat (I haven't personally witnessed this and the baby's not exceptionally tall). Is she in the wrong about this? When it came up and she mentioned the foot thing, I was at a loss and missed an opportunity to say anything. What's the truth to this??

Jennifer, Absolutly that child needs to still be RF! The minimum by law in most all states is 1 yr AND 20 lbs. But that is the minimum! They should stay RF as long as the seat's weight requirements allow. Legs are bendable as someone else says. Even if they were injured in crash because they touch the seat.(which I haven't heard of) I'd rather have a child with an injured leg than one with a brain or spinal cord injury.


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## joybird (Feb 2, 2006)

Okay so . . .

Those of you who say it will fit in similar cars (Nissan, Civic, etc), does yours fit in the center seat? And also, if I have to choose, is it better for the child to be rear-facing in the side seat or forward-facing in the center seat?

I really want her to be rf in the center seat, 'cause the Corolla isn't the mightiest and sturdiest of cars, if you know what I mean!


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## slsurface (May 8, 2007)

I've had great experience with this car seat in both our PT cruiser and Saturn SL. I can put the seat in forward and rear-facing in the middle site or on the side seats. I usually put it behind the driver's seat and forward facing not that ds is old- and big-enough.

BTW: If you want to try to see if it fits your car, Babies R US allows you to take it out to your car prior to purchasing. You just have to ask a sales clerk and they will take it out to your car for you.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *joybird* 
Okay so . . .

Those of you who say it will fit in similar cars (Nissan, Civic, etc), does yours fit in the center seat? And also, if I have to choose, is it better for the child to be rear-facing in the side seat or forward-facing in the center seat?

I really want her to be rf in the center seat, 'cause the Corolla isn't the mightiest and sturdiest of cars, if you know what I mean!

IME it will only fit in the center if both front seats are fairly far forward AND you don't want anyone else to ride in the back.

Ours is on the passenger side. Rear facing makes more of a difference than the center.

-Angela


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## WhaleinGaloshes (Oct 9, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *joybird* 

Those of you who say it will fit in similar cars (Nissan, Civic, etc), does yours fit in the center seat? And also, if I have to choose, is it better for the child to be rear-facing in the side seat or forward-facing in the center seat?


Mine is also on the passenger side outboard. My DD right where yours is (just turning 2 and 28-29lbs), and I feel that she is safer RF on the side than she would be FF in the center.


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## Thandiwe (May 14, 2007)

Thanks bunches, everyone, for answering my question about my friends 9 mos old baby. I'm so saddened







by some of the things she does with her kids and some of the ways she's always taking chances with them. I'm working up the nerve to just call her to chat and "slip" some 'did ya' know' info about car seats in there. The saddest part to me, though, is that she doesn't ever really seem to care.







: When there have been other issues where safety is concerned, she just shrugs it off as an, "Oh well, nothing's happened yet," attitude. So hard to watch....


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## All together ooky (Jun 3, 2004)

I've seen pics of three across in a Corolla (BLVD, Radian, Marathon). Remember that the Marathon (or any other covertible for that matter) doesn't have to be reclined to the full 45 degrees (unless it's a newborn). They can be quite upright while rear-facing thus giving the front passengers some leg room.


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