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uncommon question dont laugh

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uncommon question dont laugh
« on: August 06, 2009, 03:45:29 PM »
alright so its been awhile since ive posted, but needless to say i still own my tracker and have abused the snot out of it, it still consumes more oil than fuel and i still love it. problem is its rusty and i dont feel it will be safe to carry my kid around in when november come around and he is born. but i also dont feel that my monte carlo the rear drive pig that she is will be up to the task of winter driving with the kid either. i do however have a line on a 93 4wd sidekick for 400 bucks, with zero rust or rot anwheres, with a supposedly great running 100k motor, and a bad manual trans (my current one is good), that i would relly like to purchase. not to mention the head gasket been done the timing belt and all the normal replcement stuf on these things has been done. so my question is, has anyone had any experince with traveling with an infant car seat in the back of a 2 door track kick? is it safe enough? will the car seat fit? i know it may sound stupid, but i figured maybe sombody on here would know. i just dont want to give up driving a trackick, but i also do not have the money foor a 4 door as they seem to be hard to find around here or really pricy for what they are. thanks yall, and dont laugh to hard

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Offline Drone637

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2009, 03:51:08 PM »
It will fit.  The issue is with getting the little ones in and out of the seat through the little opening you get.  If you don't have to take the car seat out it makes things a lot easier as once it is set in place you can just leave it there, then just use the little 5 point harness setup.

Not sure on the safety of a 4 door vs soft top for someone riding in the back.
96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
Crawlers NorthWest
x-Trouble Racing

Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2009, 03:58:46 PM »
thanks, i was really wonderin if it wold fit or not cause i can barl fit any passengers back there, but for some reason my tracker seem very small in it back compared to others, hopfully the kick wont

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Offline zukimoo

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2009, 05:27:16 PM »
I drove a samurai with a little one for a few years. THe only negative is getting the kid in the back.

At the beginning we had the little part you strap(the base) and then the seat just clips in. With this seat it was really easy...clip in and clip out. When the child gets older the seats after that start to really suck.

As for safety that all depends on what you think is safe and how safe you are. In a collision with a 1ton you have no chance but most cars won't either. In a roll over it's about the same thing. I always wondered about a zuke because of the lack of the rear roll over bar. A friend rolled a zuke and his little one was in better shape than him...they were all lucky.

I took a driving course and you are responsible for your safety. Take you time because speeding is not worth it and leave enough room in front. When you stop at a light leave some room in front and keep an eye out for the vehicle behind you...even the one behind him. My life was going great until some pita decided to run into me at 70km'h.....she told the cop...never seen him, never hit the brakes...I just hit him. defensive driving.

last thing is you can live in a bomb shelter and drive a tank but what kind of life is that? be cautious and try to be safe but live your life.
85 SJ413K SUA, 30" BFG muds, 512's, lockers and DOHC soon...
81 LJ80, 800cc of pure power....Stock
06 Baja Buggy

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Offline keith

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2009, 07:55:50 AM »
My son rode in the front seat of our 90 Tracker from the time he was 6 months old until I sold it when he was 3.  He was always in a front facing car seat.  He grew to love the tracker and liked it more than the Jeep Wrangler I replaced it with because he could ride in the front of the Tracker but had to be in the rear of the Jeep.  I would suspect the rear seat of a 2 door Trackick would be less safe than the front just because the rear seat is so close to the back of the vehicle.  The Tracker was not our primary vehicle though so most of the time he was riding in a larger vehicle.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2009, 07:57:58 AM by keith »

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Offline jzap

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2009, 08:50:01 PM »
I don't laugh when a Kid's safety is at stake.

I have known a number of people who wheel some pretty good trails in a soft top Tracker or Sammi with their child in a car seat in the back.  They had a full cage, so there was rollover protection above and behind the child's head.  

The main worry I would have would be a rear impact, because there is very little buffer space between the tailgate and the rear seat.  That's probably because I just got whacked from behind a couple weeks ago by a kid in a Mustang.  It folded the rear end of my Corolla pretty effectively, and I don't know if the Tracker would have taken the hit any better. You can't always rely on your skill to protect your child, because there are idiots out there.

If I were going to transport a child, I think I'd hold out for a 4 dr '95, '96 or '97.  
« Last Edit: August 07, 2009, 10:25:57 PM by jzap »
Jim Z.
96 Tracker
66 Apache camper

Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2009, 05:25:54 AM »
thanks you guys for not bein dick headed about this cause i wasnt sure how to many people would take to it. its my first child, and im 21 years old my driving habits were not great in the past and i made very poor desicion in a camaro a few years ago and im glad i did cause it changed my outlook on driving and safety. i realized quick that my actions were going to take a toll on me or somone else and am glad i didnt hurt any one, i actually wasnt trying to do anything stupid, but these other morons in a little ricer integra would leave me alone  and they kept speeding up slowing down and finally stopped in the middle of the road, i clipped there bumper andwent around them into oncoming traffic, narrowly missed vehicles with familys inside and ran home with the car, and got arrestted 2 days later. all i was trying to do was bring my girlfriend to see her day in the hospital.  that incident changed my liife and lookin back im glad it happened otherwise id still be a cocky idiot driver, so now i drive much safer than before. im going to go look at this kick soon i hope, but i never really thought about if i got rearended what would happen, thanks for bringin that up. i do know where i could get a 4 door, but its at a pretty shady car dealership in town, that not a lot of people trust, but on the other hand im not normal people , and if somthin breaks because they didnt fix it properly or at all, ill do it myself to make sure its right, it looks like a 94 ish tracker 4 door black without any real rust, and probably has 100k or over. anybody have any idea on what sorta price they should be asking for somthin like that? really thanks though for respondin, i really wasnt expecting anybody to chime in on this.

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Offline Drone637

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2009, 09:19:00 AM »
Trackers are pretty sturdy in rear end collisions due to the body on frame design.  As long as the car is low enough that they hit the frame anyway.

4 door prices really depend on where your at.  I would check the Craigslist for your state to get a good idea.  There are several in the Washington area for around 1500-2000 that look decent with mileage in the 150-200,000 range.  That is getting up there but if it runs well and you don't mind a few dents they are good deals for someone looking for a rig a little bigger then the 2 doors.

96 Geo Tracker, x-SJ-410,  x-White Rabbit, x-Project Trouble
Crawlers NorthWest
x-Trouble Racing

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Offline Jeremiah

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2009, 06:45:19 PM »
Trackers are pretty sturdy in rear end collisions due to the body on frame design.  As long as the car is low enough that they hit the frame anyway.

Sturdy is good for the vehicle, but BAD for the humans inside. Something has to take the energy of the impact - the longer the crumple zone, the slower the "deceleration" = better. That's why smart cars are death traps - there's no room for deceleration / energy absorption. That said - I believe hard rear impacts are more rare than head on or side impacts.
'96 4 door kick: 29" Pep-Boys M/T, 1.5" OME
'83 SJ410: 31" Toyo M/T, SPOA, 1.3L
'08 Yamaha FZ6

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Offline djlantis57

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2009, 12:40:51 AM »
My 2003 Chevy Silverado Z71 4x4 got rear ended in February this year.  By a 2007 Mazda 626.  Nice new car...instantly up in flames.  Me?  I drove home with a dented rear bumper.  Small cosmetic damage.
I was just fine, BUT I was braced for a collision so I didn't have whiplash or feel anything, even the next day.  Both of us were very lucky.  Oh mind you...I had my brakes FLOORED and was at a complete stop...and she hit me at 50+ mph.  Must have been like hitting a brick wall for her...she slid under my truck and pushed her engine and everything backwards.
Depends on the car that were to hit you (knock on wood) and the circumstances.  If I were in the same collision with the same car at the same speed, but from the side or front, I'm sure I would have gotten bruised up a little bit and the truck would have taken more damage.  But my 10,000lb. trailer hitch tore up her car pretty bad, not to mention the tow hook sticking out of the receiver.  Chances are, you don't have one of those on the front or sides of your car as a battering ram. 
God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things.  Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.
90 Tracker LSi 2dr tintop 5spd: slow toy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 Pontiac G8 GT: fast toy
90 Tracker LSi 2dr 5spd: SOLD.......95 Tracker 2dr 5spd: parts..........90 Sidekick JX 5spd: HI, my name's DJ and I have an addiction.........93 Tracker 2dr 2wd 5spd: PS donor/poss. 4x4 swap from 95 parts

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Offline Uncivilized

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Re: uncommon question dont laugh
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2009, 08:53:11 AM »
My 2-door is my DD with a carseat. I've had both the removable baby seat, and the 3 in 1 car seat. The one thing I did, and still do is I use the opposite buckle from the belt as to move the seat towards the middle more. The front seat moves forward enough to get out the removable clip in seat, and as he got older, he climbs up over my seat and does it on his own ;)
I also made a bar that goes across the storage floor and bolts to the seatbelt mount that has a loop on it for the teather strap. When I go wheeling, he's up front, and the teather strap hooks to the rear belt latch. You pull it all the way out and let it retract to lock it.
FWIW - as infants, the removable clip in seats are much easier.