Advice on Convertible Car Seat

Britax Marathon. We have several different kinds of car seats (3 kids, 2 vehicles, 2 sets of grandparents) and the Britax is certainly the easiest to move around! And it looks the most comfortable to me. We also have a Graco Natalius (sp?) that we love, but that can't be rear facing.
Check out www.babycheapskate.com
She just posted about a super deal on a Britax Marathon that was for $185 or something....those are very rare sales! Even if you don't find it for a deal, it's worth every penny, I promise.

Another recommenation for the Marathon!

We switched our younger son to it (had been our 4 yo) at 9 months. VERY easy to switch out between cars, my husband has a LATCH, I don't.

My husband swears our Britax Marathon is the easiest one to switch though as someone else said, none are super simple. We love it and have moved it several times. My friend has the Evenflo Triumph and they move it all the time with no issues.

Lets see my first is one that has the highest weight range like up to 80 lb. I have one that gos from 22lb to 80 and I'm using it as a booster w/the seatbelt for my 6 yo. The 3 point latch system keep the seat in the car real good, I feel it's safer. However it's hard to switch back and forth from car to car. I know it's not a brand recommendation, but I think that will help you narrow your choices down well.
Good luck, A. H

We bought a convertible seat this past September b/c we were in the same position as you, with a little one growing too big for his baby seat. We narrowed our choices to the Britax Boulevard CS and The First Years' True Fit, eventually choosing the First Year seat which we purchased from Amazon within your price range. We switch the seat between cars several times a week, and have educated two sets of grandparents on how to install it. We chose this one because of it's anticipated extended use based on higher weight guidelines, it's comfort, and the reviews that I'd seen online.
I suggest you go to stores to look at the seats in person, even placing your child in the seats to get an idea of the ease of use and comfort level. Britax has a very helpful seat selector guide on their website that will recommend a seat based on your child's age, height, weight, etc. www.car-seat.org was a great help to me when I was trying to sort through the madness of too many choices as a first-time mom. This site has reviews from moms who use the seats (many with photos), great Q&As re: seat recommendations, and advice from ppl who are registered seat installers. I would look here for additional suggestions. Good luck!

Britax Marathon is a great choice - sometimes you can find them on sale, especially if you don't really care what the covering is. Do a Google search and type in "discount Britax Marathon" or "coupon Britax Marathon" etc. and be a little bit patient - prices change frequently. I have had luck on albeebaby.com and they have free shipping for something that expensive and it comes in a matter of a couple days.

I honestly don't think any of them are easy to get in and out of cars anymore with latch systems, etc.

We did a lot of research when we were ready to move our kids out of the infant carrier. We ended up with the Britax Marathon because of its high safety ratings. One kid was 9 months, the other 7 months when we moved them into it. No complaints of any kind at this point - it has done very well both rear and front facing.

We're getting close to having to move our 21 month old out of it. Though a quick check of their website shows she should be safe up to 65 lbs and 49 inches. We may stil lhave time.

Good luck! I'd personally advise safety over convenience and perhaps get a couple (even with the expense).