[kmdrum79]

Just wanted to get the parent's point of view on how a Camaro is as a family car. I've always wanted a 2 door sports car but have always leaned on sedan's or SUV's to take the family around. While I realize that the Camaro isn't an ideal car for a family, I wanted to see how people deal with it when you have to stick a child in the back seat. My daughter is a very tall 4 1/2 year old. She's still in booster seat (by law) but she's approaching 4 ft tall, very quickly. Since I don't want to go the sedan route again, I've been looking at various cars and trucks but I've always loved the 5th Gen and now the 6th Gen has me excited to purchase one, around a year and a half from now. Any perspective on this subject would be appreciated!

[jdrop01]

I myself am going to get myself into a Camaro. I currently do not have any kids but I am having a new born in September. Here's a link of a conversation I was part of about the 6 Gen on the 5 gen forums http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...=404169&page=5. Even has a picture of a bad ass car seat haha but the conversation about kids starts half way down the page.

I did ask about kids and it seems people had zero problems. The one thing someone did mention was it was a lot easier with the passenger seat being mechanical as you can just slide it forward pretty quickly compared to electrical where you would have to wait it out. I am just trying to not itch my scratch as of right now as I would love to get one of the 5th gen 1LE's but I'm holding off until my new born and I am also moving to Texas in November. I have a lot going on and for once in my damn life I am trying to make the adult and correct decision haha. It is going to be hard not to pull the trigger once I start seeing deals at the end of this year with the 6 Gen being in production. Worst case scenario I end up getting a 6 Gen in 2017 either way win, win.

[kmdrum79]

Thanks for the link! That car seat is awesome! Lol! :P

It's good to see that people use them with kids. I wanted the new Corvette Z06 and my wife agreed to it but I also want a new pool in the backyard so think I'm going to "suffer" and only go with the Gen 6 instead so I can still get the pool. Plus, there's no hope to use the Corvette as anything more than a fun ride for my wife OR my daughter. Haha!

I hope everything works out for you!

[2014v6]

Been there done that.. Camaro is not a carseat friendly car... You would do better in a chevy ss 4 door. I love the camaro but. Ive already done it and im being totally honest

[Design1stCode2nd]

Depends on how often they are going to be in there and how old. At 4.5 with the booster it should be OK as long as they can climb in by themselves and buckle themselves.

A few years older (when out of the booster) it depends on how long there legs are from knee to butt. If their knees are past the seat cushion bottom its not bad. My 9 and 12 year old fit in very well in my car but then I can fit behind myself. The Camaro will probably have less room.

If it's going to be a daily kid hauler just go for a 4 door of some kind for the next 5 years and get a Gen 7 Camaro.

[kmdrum79]

Yeah, I've looked at the SS and while it has the performance, I'm not too crazy about the style. I've already sat out the 5th Gen cycle and I really would like to get into a Camaro some day (wanted a 4th Gen in high school). Lol!

We'll still have a Jeep Grand Cherokee to use as our other vehicle but I would like something that I can use with the family if need be. Just wanted some perspective on if it's too much of a hassle. I go back and forth on it but I feel that she's getting close enough to get out of her booster seat and since it won't be used 100% of the time as our sole family car, if it's worth the hassle. I understand that it's about preference but I still want what I want and don't want another sedan (or truck) that I'll settle for in the meantime. You know?

[DenverTaco07]

I think a "booster" would be fine - i hope, but forget about putting a rear facing car seat in without having to move the passenger seat all the way forward and tilt all the way forward - my guess anyway. The third person, the mother or whatever, will have to sit behind the driver, in a tight space, maybe a 9 or 10 year old in the front passenger.

[c5Legend]

Basically you can make it work, but it is tough to get them in and out sometimes.. just got to have space for the long doors when you open them. My son is 1 1/2 and probably the same size as a 3-4 yr old and I haul him around fine in the Camaro.

[V6CamaroRS]

If a Camaro is going to be your only car then I would strongly advise you to get a different vehicle. As a 2nd vehicle the 5th Gen is workable. I have a 6 foot teenager who rides in the front and a 5'3" pre-teen that rides behind him. I'm 6'2", so my driving position makes it impossible to put anyone behind me.

Anyone taller than 5'6" is going to be extremely uncomfortable in the back seat.

Note that I'm talking about the hardtop model. As best as I can tell from attempting to sit in one, the convertibles lose a bit of the backseat space making it a challenge to fit anyone correctly. (By correctly I mean in their seat and buckled in.)

My understanding is that the 6th Gen is losing interior space and may have a smaller back seat. If you're worried about it go to the dealer and ask to sit in the backseat. That's why I did and it was very informative*. Since you have a car seat, take it with you and make sure it fits with your seats adjusted in place.

Best of luck!

* I should point out that I had the hardest time getting to that point. First I tried one of the display models at Disney World that you could get into. They asked me not to try sitting in the back seat. Then I tried the local dealer. The sales lady basically tried to put me in a Sonic and told me to forget about a Camaro! Finally the rep at the Chicago auto show let me try it and my wife and I tried one more time when we went to a more trusted dealer. Suffice it to say, we bought from the more trusted dealer.

** Biggers Chevrolet in Schamburg, BTW. Those guys are awesome. Go to them if you're in Illinois and need a new Chevy. I've bought two vehicles from them and both transactions have been fantastic!

[SPCBA]

I have had two car seats and a corgi in the back of my 5th gen.

Lessons.
The car seat is gonna stay there. None of this remove daily crap.
There are better car seats than others for this car. It has the metal bars for easy clipping.
Don't get leather, the matts and pads don't protect it from the points where the weight is.
Super easy if the kid is old enough and can get into seat and buckle themselves.

It workes perfectly if you ain't gonna be anal if they scuff something, the kids loved it.

[LS1hawk]

We just put our 2 year old and 7 month old in for the first time as a family of four. It was awful. I knew it would be tight, but being 6'5" makes the seat behind me unusable. Maybe a car show or two, but definitely no long trips for us.

[vtirocz]

My 4 and 5 year old fit fine in the back of my '00 Z28 (barely!) and should have more space once out of the big car seats.

How will the 6th gen leg room compare to 4th gen? I would hope it's going in the improving direction since it's based on the ATS chassis.

[kmdrum79]

Thankfully, I'm only 5 ft 4 in and my wife is 5 ft 5 in. My daughter is projected to be taller than us but it won't be for a while.

[ilirg]

The trunk looks just big enough to fit a 3-6 year old in, what more can you want?