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For me, I would rather buy a cheaper new seat (a $40 Costco brand car seat has a very high safety rating, it's what we use in my husbands car and my MIL car) than a used car seat from someone I didn't know. We did spend more on a new Britax for my vehicle since she's in there the most/longest distance but that's not necessary. She's never complained about the comfort of the Costco ones.

There is no way to know if it's accident free/been well taken care of to not be compromised used. Because you have to buy 3, I would start doing research on cheaper car seats with high safety ratings.

@babybean404: Costco the brand (like at Walmart) not the store.

Here is the Car Seat for Little's website that breakdown different brands (the Costco brand is included)

http://csftl.org/recommended-seats/compare-convertible-seats/

I'd probably spend a little bit more than a Cosco seat (because you will be able to use it longer) and look at Graco brand. In my experience, they are comparable to Britax in terms of size/safety but at a third of the price. I own 2 Gracos and 2 Britax seats.

All car seats are safe IF used and installed properly. Please read though some concerns about cheaper seats. http://csftl.org/the-alpha-omega-why-its-neither-the-first-nor-the-last-nor-the-elite-car-seat/

i'll be an outlier here and say that i have bought used carseats from craigslist. i know this is somewhat naive, but i decide to have some faith when they tell me it hasn't been in an accident. i also met both sellers in person before buying the seats. both car seats were a couple of years old. i got two great recaro proride seats for half the price, and i have no regrets.

so i recommend craigslist if you're looking to buy used because there's a little more person-to-person interaction, and sometimes people sell almost brand new carseats.

@babybean404: car seats for littles has a great Facebook group. If you give them your requirements (size, ages, of kids, car, price etc) they will give you a few recommendations.

I'm in the minority but I bought one of our convertible car seats off CL. We don't use it much since we don't have a car and it's a good quality one (Max Cosi). It was from another parent, and so far it's been fine!

Personally, I would not buy a used seat at a regional sale because you never know if the seat was in an accident, if the straps have been washed, etc. I would only use a used seat if it was from a close friend or family member and I knew it was accident free and taken care of properly.

However, if you are looking for brands, know that all car seats have to pass the same tests, so a more expensive seat is not necessarily safer than a cheaper seat. We are very happy with our Graco MyRide 65, and I bought it on Amazon for $118.

I am actually surprised they are able to resell the car seats...at a huge consignement sale near me, car seats are among the items they can not accept for resale.

Also, the warranty is probably void, if you are not the original buyer of the item.

Agree with PP that I wouldn't buy a used convertible seat. There are some great low-priced options for car seats. We have this one in my car and my mom's car and we love it (I bought it because it was recommended so much on the Car Seats for the Littles Facebook page). It has great height and weight limits.

http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-SureRide-Convertible-Seat-Paxton/dp/B00ISS2KVI

http://csftl.org/hand-me-down-seats-bargain-or-bust/