I admit I can't help but balk at the prices some people pay for car seats, like over $400 for one seat? (I think the clek foonf is the first to come to mind since I heard about it here and have seen it posted about on Hb)
I'm really curious though what makes those seats so much better or worth the extra cost?
I understand some upgrades are nice; easy to use latch/installation systems, easy to adjust and tighten, nicer straps or padding- but I've found that there are plenty of mid range seats that have those extras without the price tag. And I've read consumer reports and safety ratings and from what I can tell, the more expensive seats don't necessarily score higher or perform better in safety ratings and crash tests.

So please enlighten me if I'm missing something!

We've had the safety 1st on board infant seat, recaro convertible and graco nautilus for my son and will be getting the graco 4ever for number 2, but haven't picked an infant seat (probably something like graco or safety 1st again). I was always pleased with them.

I will say we did at one point try the Costco scenera, which is the cheapest seat I've ever seen and we did not like it at all. It was difficult to install, difficult to loosen and tighten the straps, etc. so I do understand the upgrades to an extent!