944 Rear Seatbelts?

[bourriquet76]

We're trying to buy my husband a 944, but can't figure out what year the rear seat belts switched from being lap belts to shoulder belts.

We have two kids who would need to be in the car occasionally, but that requires shoulder belts.

Any help would be appreciated as we're trying to narrow down our search and eliminate model years if they won't work.

Thank you!

[Dave L]

my 86 didnt but my 88 does have shoulder belts.

[bourriquet76]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

We feel badly heading out to look at vehicles and wasting someone's time if they won't work out for that reason alone.

[racer]

My '87 has lap belts in the rear.. and yes, '88s had 3 pts in the rear.

out of curiosity, why does having kids mandate shoulder belts? Is that a state law? Are you trying to get them in a booster and a belt in the rear? (not sure of a booster that fits in the rear.

[bourriquet76]

The kids are 7 and 4, so TX law requires some sort of child safety seat (booster or regular car seat). The oldest is on the smaller side in terms of weight (only 44lbs), so even when she turns 8 in the fall, she really needs some kind of booster.

There aren't any boosters on the market that work with a lap only belt, and I can't find a regular car seat that will work either.

I'm thinking we may just have to look for the 88s and up (except there is a gorgeous 85 nearby that my husband likes, and in the right color). The other option is having shoulder belts installed, but not sure if that is even doable. I was hoping for shoulder belts plus a smaller low-profile booster to fix the situation.

[porsche4life]

I want to say that the 3pts can be added to the earlier cars.... Don't quote me on that though.... I'd need to see the mounting points in the late cars first.....

[Dave L]

You will have to carve the bottoms of the booster seats or otherwise build the seats up so there is a flat surface for the booster to sit on. I have put my 5 and 7 year old in the back with out boosters and they fit in the seats perfectly but the seat belts are too loose. I have had my son (7) ride in the front seat with a booster many times. There is no air bag in my car so it is legal.

[Aufgeladen944]

^I usually put my nephews up front (which is a big deal for them...riding up front like a big person in the cool Uncle's car ), as there is no need for them to be in the rear. My car doesn't have airbags. They're overrated anyways.

In fact, I took out the rear seat belts. Anybody who gets back there isn't back there for long, and they always have to sit sideways anyways.

Besides, you only need seat belts if you're gonna crash

[racer]

it would seem to me that a shoulder belt is a "preference" and not a state requirement. If you put your child in a pre '68 car, it may not have ANY seat belts in it.. and it doesn't violate the law since seat belts were not mandated for that year car. And as you've learned, rear shoulder belts weren't overly common either in cars now approaching 20+ years old. Lord knows plenty of us, as kids, would stuff the seatbelts into the cushions to avoid using them.

In the end, you have to do what you feel comfortable with.. i get that.. on the otherhand, living in fear of the "safety police" doesn't always seem right either.

[fmartenies]

I had this same conversation with a friend earlier today. No one can fit back there except kids, but in NC kids have to be in a car seat until they are practically 24. I don't know of any car seats that would fit in there w/a kid and still leave room for the front seats to be where they need to be. Hence easy decision to replicate the rear seat delete option.

[rluciano]

I put shoulder belts in my '87. Cut the mounting points from a wrecked 968 and welded them in. Then used the belts from another 968. My 7 year old daughter and 6 year old niece love it.

[bourriquet76]

Thanks. We've been leaning towards finding one we like and having shoulder belts retroed somehow. We found a lovely, well kept 1985 today in the preferred color.

I know I sound paranoid, but it's justified. I wrecked my Mercedes convertible a couple of years back. Lady sped up & ran a red light and hit me while I was making a left turn and the impact was enough to flip the car. Thankfully, the roll bars popped and I had the top up, so we were mostly protected. The kids were 5 & 2 at the time and in heavy duty car seats, so they walked away without a scratch. The car was completely totaled. I've still got them both in actual car seats, so giving in to a possible booster & seat belt was a big step!