Poll: How I Feel about the Back Seats
07-20-2011, 09:32 AM
#31
Burning Brakes
Get more quotes. I pay $1,100 per year for 996, VW Routan, and Jeep Wrangler. Clean driving record, just under 40.
07-20-2011, 10:29 AM
#32
Rennlist Member
$2000? We pay about 60% of that for 3 cars including two 2011's.
01-22-2012, 08:17 PM
#33
Drifting
I'm considering trading in my 986S for a 997S, and rear seats to carry the kids are a big part of that- I can't tell you how many times I'd REALLY wanted to take the Porsche, but we end up taking the SUV instead. My kids are 10 & 11, though, and tall for their age. They'll soon enough be 15 & 16.
Is the back seat so cramped that even if they can fit in a pinch, we'd end up taking the SUV anyhow? How's the back seat in a cab with the top down?
Is the back seat so cramped that even if they can fit in a pinch, we'd end up taking the SUV anyhow? How's the back seat in a cab with the top down?
01-22-2012, 10:27 PM
#34
Rennlist Member
Took golf clubs to Parade in my 996 with the back seats folded down - worked great. I like the seat belt option for the front seat, but I always put a blanket under the bag so it doesn't "dent" the leather on the front edge.
+1 on the insurance comments as well. I'm 50 and pay well less than 50% of your $2k.
+1 on the insurance comments as well. I'm 50 and pay well less than 50% of your $2k.
01-22-2012, 10:38 PM
#35
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I had back seats in the 928 which were slightly roomier than a 997, I guess that's enough to validate my response. I had the back seats to take the wife and both kids out for drives. Well after 2 years I counted exactly zero times that both kids went out with me and the wife didn't really care for the 928. So I figured, why not get a car just for me (selfish I know) and I bought the Spyder. Funny thing is that my wife always wants to go out in the Spyder and my daughter is chomping at the bit to meet the booster seat requirements so she can go. 
01-22-2012, 10:58 PM
#38
#1
I was searching to see if I could see if there was any truth to "they put the back seat in to reduce insurance" (that always seemed improbable that an actuary would fall for that), when I came a cross this article from Edmunds. As many of the other posters are like me and saying the seats work great or our kids, the article made me think about the booster seat I have and the lack of a good latch seat for he 911...
Here are some sobering statistics for parents: Motor vehicle crashes kill more children ages 14 and under than anything else, claiming nearly 2,400 lives and resulting in approximately 270,000 injuries each year. The vast majority of those crashes occur within 25 miles of home, and most occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less.
It's frightening. Why are all these kids dying? For the most part, it's because they aren't buckled safely into the car. For those of you thinking, "Hey, I put my kids in car seats," here's news: Studies show that 82 percent of those seats are not installed and used correctly. That's why, in 2001, the federal government required passenger vehicles and child restraints to feature LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). LATCH, which eliminates the need to use the car's seatbelt to hold down the car seat, was designed to standardize installation and reduce guesswork. (Note that the LATCH requirement only applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating, GVWR, under 8,500 pounds. Some manufacturers, such as Ford and General Motors, have voluntarily installed LATCH on many of its full-size trucks and vans. All child restraints are required to feature LATCH except car beds and boosters.)
A LATCH-compliant vehicle has metal "anchors," usually located on the seat back or rear bulkhead, to hold the safety seat's upper tether. It also has lower "anchor points" in the seat crack — the place where cookie crumbs usually hide — to receive the metal LATCH connectors built into the lower part of car seats.
Simpler, But Still Not Easy
In spite of the LATCH system requirement, choosing a car seat can still be a confounding experience. People still complain about how difficult it is to ensure that they buy a car seat that fits their vehicle. The owner's manual may say one thing, but the car seat instructions may say another. And many SUVs and wagons have anchor points that are located in the cargo bay, making installation more difficult and potentially interfering with cargo storage.
An added difficulty arises for parents who carpool or who have more than two kids. The outboard vehicle seats (window seats) are wider than the middle seat, and the middle seat often isn't LATCH-compliant. Trying to fit three car seats (even backless boosters) across a rear seat can be a challenge, and often impossible. Further, the car seats that fit into one car may not fit into another.
To complicate matters, the widths of car seats vary by make and model, and can change over time. The right place to go for information about specific model width is the child seat manufacturer.
Lorrie Walker is training manager and technical advisor for Safe Kids Buckle Up, a non-profit education, outreach and public policy program and part of the national Safe Kids campaign (www.safekids.org). She says LATCH is not as simple as it sounds. "All in all there are still variations between cars and child restraints that make it difficult to use," she says. "It is still working the kinks out."
Turns out that what was supposed to make our lives easier and safer has also created a new set of problems.
"In America, we have a lot of choices," says Walker. "Each manufacturer can make [LATCH] look whatever way they choose." That means more choices — and more confusion — for consumers.
I was searching to see if I could see if there was any truth to "they put the back seat in to reduce insurance" (that always seemed improbable that an actuary would fall for that), when I came a cross this article from Edmunds. As many of the other posters are like me and saying the seats work great or our kids, the article made me think about the booster seat I have and the lack of a good latch seat for he 911...
Here are some sobering statistics for parents: Motor vehicle crashes kill more children ages 14 and under than anything else, claiming nearly 2,400 lives and resulting in approximately 270,000 injuries each year. The vast majority of those crashes occur within 25 miles of home, and most occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less.
It's frightening. Why are all these kids dying? For the most part, it's because they aren't buckled safely into the car. For those of you thinking, "Hey, I put my kids in car seats," here's news: Studies show that 82 percent of those seats are not installed and used correctly. That's why, in 2001, the federal government required passenger vehicles and child restraints to feature LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children). LATCH, which eliminates the need to use the car's seatbelt to hold down the car seat, was designed to standardize installation and reduce guesswork. (Note that the LATCH requirement only applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating, GVWR, under 8,500 pounds. Some manufacturers, such as Ford and General Motors, have voluntarily installed LATCH on many of its full-size trucks and vans. All child restraints are required to feature LATCH except car beds and boosters.)
A LATCH-compliant vehicle has metal "anchors," usually located on the seat back or rear bulkhead, to hold the safety seat's upper tether. It also has lower "anchor points" in the seat crack — the place where cookie crumbs usually hide — to receive the metal LATCH connectors built into the lower part of car seats.
Simpler, But Still Not Easy
In spite of the LATCH system requirement, choosing a car seat can still be a confounding experience. People still complain about how difficult it is to ensure that they buy a car seat that fits their vehicle. The owner's manual may say one thing, but the car seat instructions may say another. And many SUVs and wagons have anchor points that are located in the cargo bay, making installation more difficult and potentially interfering with cargo storage.
An added difficulty arises for parents who carpool or who have more than two kids. The outboard vehicle seats (window seats) are wider than the middle seat, and the middle seat often isn't LATCH-compliant. Trying to fit three car seats (even backless boosters) across a rear seat can be a challenge, and often impossible. Further, the car seats that fit into one car may not fit into another.
To complicate matters, the widths of car seats vary by make and model, and can change over time. The right place to go for information about specific model width is the child seat manufacturer.
Lorrie Walker is training manager and technical advisor for Safe Kids Buckle Up, a non-profit education, outreach and public policy program and part of the national Safe Kids campaign (www.safekids.org). She says LATCH is not as simple as it sounds. "All in all there are still variations between cars and child restraints that make it difficult to use," she says. "It is still working the kinks out."
Turns out that what was supposed to make our lives easier and safer has also created a new set of problems.
"In America, we have a lot of choices," says Walker. "Each manufacturer can make [LATCH] look whatever way they choose." That means more choices — and more confusion — for consumers.
01-22-2012, 11:17 PM
#39
Nordschleife Master
4. Porsche=Sports Car; Sports Car=Lightweight.
like GT3, get rid of them
+1 for sunroof delete too
like GT3, get rid of them
+1 for sunroof delete too
01-23-2012, 12:57 AM
#41
Three Wheelin'
Nobody has been in my rear seats with any regularity for a year. My youngest is 16. But it is nice to have the option to use the car to go to lunch with a group from the office. I have ridden to lunch in the rear seat, and it beats walking!
I use the other rear seat to keep my spare tire in. It requires a seat belt to secure it.
I use the other rear seat to keep my spare tire in. It requires a seat belt to secure it.
01-23-2012, 02:30 AM
#42
Rennlist Member
I vote for #3. I like being able to put objects under the folded seat backs. I did remove the rears on my 997.2 when I installed the roll bar. I have no plans to install a roll bar or remove the seats in the GTS.
01-23-2012, 06:31 AM
#44
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"All in all there are still variations between cars and child restraints that make it difficult to use," she says. "It is still working the kinks out."
[...]
"Turns out that what was supposed to make our lives easier and safer has also created a new set of problems.
[...]
"In America, we have a lot of choices," says Walker. "Each manufacturer can make [LATCH] look whatever way they choose." That means more choices — and more confusion — for consumers.
[...]
"Turns out that what was supposed to make our lives easier and safer has also created a new set of problems.
[...]
"In America, we have a lot of choices," says Walker. "Each manufacturer can make [LATCH] look whatever way they choose." That means more choices — and more confusion — for consumers.
Gary
01-23-2012, 09:03 AM
#45
Three Wheelin'
"I" bought the car for ME, but since we have had it (2 months) the only time I get to drive it is when we are out together, otherwise in the morning I hear, Honey I'm off, I'm taking the PORSCHE, ... "SHE" was supposed to use the X5 for everyday....go figure...
ps "SHE" NEVER drove the 6 speed Boxster....997 is a TIP... (only way I could get approval, sneaky these women)
So, since only 2 of us, (retired) don't need back seat, but like the flat shelf...and I also have heard about the rear seat being for insurance...have a look at the Jag convertible...the back of the front seats are just about against the rear seat.
ps "SHE" NEVER drove the 6 speed Boxster....997 is a TIP... (only way I could get approval, sneaky these women)
So, since only 2 of us, (retired) don't need back seat, but like the flat shelf...and I also have heard about the rear seat being for insurance...have a look at the Jag convertible...the back of the front seats are just about against the rear seat.