General Quinny buzz 3, isofix and the 500!

[amey]

Hi,
I was just wondering whether anyone had managed to find a pushchair/pram small enough to put in the boot of the 500? Our baby is due early Nov, and I am not getting rid of my 500! Have been informed that a quinny buzz 3 is one of the smallest folding frames, although Im not convinced I wouldn't have to remove the wheels or split the seats down to fit it in. The quinny would be a good choice, as I can use the frame with the maxi-cosi car seat - thus only needing to take the frame out with me! As it will mainly only be used for the 2 of us, it wouldn't really be a problem to fold the seats down if necessary (then have baby in the front with airbag off).

Also has anyone used the isofix base in the 500? Ive seen one installed in another car, and it would make things a lot simpler, even putting baby in the back seat seems easy as there would be no faffing around with seatbelts as it just clicks in.

Any advice appreciated!

Thanks
Amey

 

[dave]

hi have a look at this thread, it may be of use https://www.fiatforum.com/500/151897-can-you-fit-stroller-boot.html

 

[Heidi]

I think that link is to my original thread over a year ago lol.

I have seen a Quinny and I think it would fit. However the best advice I can give you is to take the 500 for a test drive to the nearest pram shop and then try the prams in the boot (unless you know someone with a quinny already!).

Regarding putting the baby in the front - if you go for the cloth seats you should be ok, however the leather seats are more 'bucket' shaped and therefore the base does not sit fully on the seat .... I wanted to put my 3 year old in the front for easy getting in and out but the booster doesn't sit well and therefore I won't do it unless it was an absolute emergency (i.e. when in a long traffic jam and he is 'kicking off' in the back). The safest place for a baby or child is in the rear of the car. I think you may have some trouble getting the car seat in and out via the passenger door due to the way the seat goes forward so I've heard, but you can get it in via the driver door. I hardly ever took my seat out of the car when my son was small due to him being rather heavy and the baby car seat being even heavier with him in it, so it may not matter about this point. The back seats are flat and bench like and the car seats fit beautifully but I would consider getting one of these (recommended to me by someone on here - forgotten who) to protect your seats from the hard plastic parts of car seats "Sunshine Kids : Grip it" (i got mine from amazon it was cheapest delivery and cost for the cover). I had a Maxi Cosi Priori Fit XP car seat in the back of my 500 for a while too, although now onto a booster seat.

A stroller (when you move away from a pram) will easily fit into the boot without any wheels coming off. Have you looked at that pram that was shown on The Apprentice recently as it folds down to briefcase size.........I would have bought one of those if I hadn't already got a stroller and my son was younger than he is now. "ABC Design Take Off Pushchair (Leebruss)".

Hope the above helps you - they aren't babies for long with all the paraphanalia (sp) you have to carry round but you may be keeping the car for more than 3 years and if so, once you've got rid of the pram and big car seats it's the perfect car for you + small one to travel round in!

EDIT : the isofix base: you still have to put the seat belt round the seat (well you do with the Mamas and Papas one) ... all that the base is is a solid isofixed base to click the baby seat onto ... it still needs strapping in round the back (another reason not to take it in and out!).

 

[Snowball]

I don't know about fitting a Buzz in the boot of a 500, I did used to be able to get one in the boot of my old Punto but did have to remove the back wheels.

Rather off topic but don't buy a Buzz, they are really awful, build quality is terrible and the one I had was nothing short of dangerous, the seat would recline of its own accord flinging the child back with it. I hate the things and promptly got rid of mine. Have you looked at a Bugaboo Bee? they look like they fold up pretty neatly and you can fit a Maxi-Cosi cabrio on it which is a great car seat.

I managed to fit a Maclaren Techno XT stroller in the boot of my 500 and Maclaren do do the XLR which you can clip a Recaro car seat onto so that might be an option?

I think it would be pretty tight to fit a car seat through the gap behind the seats, fine when they are tiny and light but when they grow those seats can feel really heavy so you might have to use the front seat. I always used to travel with my son on the front seat in my Punto (no airbag) as it would have been too much of a faff to get the seat into the back and I didn't have an isofix base.

Good luck with the baby, hope you find the right solution to fit around your family.

 

[dawesy]

hi
we've got a maclaren fold up pram, brown and no not to match the car, can get that in Ok...we've also got a Maxi Cosi tobi I think it's called in the back, fitted to the Isofix mounting points.....Works a dream. Prior to that we just had our daughter in the front seat on the small maxi cosi rear facing seat, and switched the airbag off.
Hope that helps
w

 

[OldPopwithNewPop]

We use a Bebe Confort Loola for our grandaugher, this fits inside the boot happily

Check any isofix seat before purchase, whilst the iso fixing is the same some of the child seat bases are longer than others and may require a tether to be fitted to the rear of the back seat. This is an alternative to using the foot/floor mounting that stops the front seat from reclining properly.

Aren't iso fix seats complicated They were supposed to be easier!

 

[Heidi]

I'm so glad the baby car seats are behind me - boosters are so much easier. Ditching the pram come January too so I'll have a lovely empty boot to drive round with (and no, I'm not tempted to have another child!).

 

[nottsfiat07]

I'm so glad the baby car seats are behind me - boosters are so much easier. Ditching the pram come January too so I'll have a lovely empty boot to drive round with (and no, I'm not tempted to have another child!).

Even if you do have another one Heidi, you really shouldn't carry it in the boot. :nono:

 

[Heidi]

i have been tempted recently to put 3.5 year old in there......................................

 

[alainmengoli]

I have the maxi cosi seat in the back for my 10 month old and can fit the buzz 3 wheel by taking the wheels off in the boot (very easy takes 5 seconds). That's the reason I bought the abarth, I can play and be sensible.

 

[OrangeSport]

I find it easier just to lay a folded buggy along the floor behing the fron seats. The interior is wider there than in the boot, and with a child seat in place the floor isn't needed for feet....

 

[Mike&Kerry]

Hey, I've not got a 500 but did own a Cinq Sporting when our little-un was born last year. We bought a Quinny Zapp, possibly the smallest and lightest buggy on sale and that fit in the boot without taking wheels off, there was even a little space for a changing bag.

The pushchair doesn't recline so needs to be used with a maxi-cosi cabriofix car seat up to 6 months which easily clips onto the Zapp frame, then if you have an isofix easyfix or an easybase (for none isofix cars) fitted in your car then you can clip the car seat off the buggy frame and into your car and back again within seconds with no messing about with seatbelts

The Quinny Zapp has small hard wheels so is a bit of a pain on anything other than smooth ground, but it is great for popping round shops as its so light and small, although you can't hang bags off the handles and there is no basket unless you get one off ebay.

The best thing to do really is pop to Mothercare, they'll let you take prams out to try in your boot. Also check the car seat before buying, ours would only fit in the front as its a little tight in the back of a Cinq.

Mike.