WillRadford

This might be a dumb question, but will a baby seat fit in the back of an extended cab pre-2005 tacoma?

WATRD

Yes. But, the front seat has to be so far forward as to all but preclude having a person in it. With some rear facing seats, the seat won't even lock in the forward most position. With forward facing seats, some have a better fit than others and with booster type seats, you are generally okay.

Test the seat in your rig as your mileage may vary...

WillRadford

Good to know WATRD. I haven't bought the Taco yet, but I am just trying to determine if I'll be able to get by with a 98 - 2000 ext cab or if I'll have to drop 20k on a 2001 - 2004 4door. I don't have any kids yet but I might in a year or so. Thanks.

GrillmasterP

Go for the Doublecab if you plan on starting a family. Your wife will thank you.
Fortunately we also have a larger mall crawler SUV

I have a 1999 Xtracab.
In my son's 1st year- He was placed rearward facing in the front seat with the pass Airbag disabled. The passenger seat was moved pretty far back.
If we took my truck my wife was forced to sit in the back (Not very happy)

When my son switched to forward facing- the Britax Marathon was placed in the rear- with the passenger seat pushed forward.
My wife is 5'2" and must choose between sitting in the back or sitting in the front with seat pushed forward. (lesser of two evils).

We recently added a 2nd member to our family- So now our only option for the 4 of us is to take my wifes SUV.

aviator

No such thing as a dumb question when it comes to kids and car seats Wil...
When I drove around with my friend's kid we put her rear facing seat in front with me and mom rode on the jump seat behind in accordance with the recommended practice in the owner's manual. (the 94 has no airbags to worry about)
the tacoma's pax bag should be disable-able with a key switch in the dash or else at the dealer...
FWIW the little lady loved riding up front since in her dads minivan she was in back and never got to see outside, mom said she was a much better passenger in my truck...
the trips were only short so mom did'nt mind the jump seat too much...
another friend had a similar situation with his first two kids before he went minivan (kicking and screaming) and they did commutes on the order of 2 hrs regularly... his wife got iron butt a few times which led to the switch... that and #2s cello did'nt like the temperature variations of a prarie winter in the box either...
best advice is follow the recommended practice in your owners manual...
cheers and congrats Aviator

yamataco

Before I traded my x-cab for my d-cab I put my girls seat in the center of the x-cab back seat using both sides seatbelts to reach across and make a big X. I showed it to a cop before we went on the first trip like that and he said it was OK. This was with the kind of seat that is held in with the trucks seatbelts but has its own harness for holding the kid in the seat. It worked alright except that her feet were always hitting my elbow when I shifted. D-cab is much better..

cackalak han

WillRadford - I see that you're in Bountiful. There are a couple of 2001-2003 4-door Taco's (TRD Package) in the $16-18k range in our area. Check autotrader, ksl, and craigslist. I was going to get a 4-door, too, but found a good deal on a 4Runner.

If you are going to have kids soon, the only logical choice is the 4-door.

WillRadford

Hmm, I guess its been a little while since I've looked at 4door tacos in our area. I crashed my 94 4runner into a lady who didn't have insurance about 4 months ago. I've been dealing with small claims and trying to collect ever since. As soon as I start getting some money out of her Im going to sell my current 4runner and look for a Taco. I think I will go for the 4door. I'll be able to keep it for a lot longer time if I do. My wife's car is a Honda so my truck will be the only off roader. I'll need something to haul the whole fam with.

Anyways, if anyone has had to deal with getting money out of someone you have a judgment against I need your advice. She lives in Evanston. Since I won the small claims suit she has changed her cell phone number. She doesn't have a land line that i know of. I guess I need to drive up there and find out if she even lives at the same address that she did at the time of the accident. I tried calling all of her neighbors but only one of them knew who she was. That person told me she worked at the Video rental store up there. I called the store and they said she quit 2 months ago. I think I might need to get a Sheriff to seize property for me.