Non-Wagon Type Cars With Fold Down Rear Seats

My son Brad needs a car. He's a keyboard player and needs something that will swallow his keyboards and amp. I've created an assignment for both my boys to research and find cars that meet their needs. This was both to give them some experience in these things and to take some of the work load off me. Well he's complaining that he can't find anything "cool" within our parameters for buying a car. All he is finding are wagons, cross-overs, and SUV's, none of which he really wants. One thing that isn't usually listed in a ad is that the car has a fold down rear seat. So what cars do you know that have fold down rear seats?

Is a Zx2 cool enough?

Not big enough. Plus his mother demanded nothing with more than 75k miles on it, which makes older cars less likely. He has a CRX now, and its not big enough. It fits in our CR-V with the back seats folded down, but not by much. He also has another smaller keyboard, stand, amp and thrown.

My wife's TSX has a fold-down rear seat, IIRC, that opens into the trunk. On E46s it's an option, as well, but my car doesn't have it.

N Sperlo wrote: Is a Zx2 cool enough?

Back seat doesn't fold down

Second Gen Ford Probe GT? I could fit my entire drum set in the back and still fit a passenger in the front

The length of the keyboard is what will likely determine what we get, and that is 57".

The vehicles in my fleet with fold-down rear seats are:

'69 SAAB 96V4 DeLuxe

'90 SAAB 900S

'94 Mazda Protege

'94 Suburban C2500HD, but insurance and registration do call this a wagon

'12 Fiat 500

The rear seat also folded in my '01 9-3, '87 Corolla FX-16, '93 MX-3, and '93 9000.

bravenrace wrote: Plus his mother demanded nothing with more than 75k miles on it,

She does know this isn't 1974 anymore right? 100+k miles on a car is no big deal.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

N Sperlo wrote: Is a Zx2 cool enough?

Back seat doesn't fold down

It has split fold seats. 100% sure.

It seems to me that most late model cars have fold/split fold rear seats...the exception would be the ones that don't

Our 03 Mach 1 had fold down rear seats. I really miss that car.

In reply to FSP_ZX2:

troof

I regularly carried my pbass and gig amp in my Mustang with the seat down. I've also put a man bike in with the front wheel removed, but the small trunk opening makes that a chore. 5'7" is probably pushing it too, its more like 4' and change.

Our '14 Maz6 easily has 6' or more with the seats down, maybe the older ones are similar? It actually has as much cargo length as our Explorer, just not the height.

Canadian-spec Impreza sedans all have fold down rear seats (frequently coded as a "ski passthrough").

Just had a rental Elantra with fold down rear seats, complete with a button in the trunk for lowering the seats. That's not a very cool car, though.

+1 on the rental Elantra. Had a bigger trunk than I expected, and the seats fold down. I'm pretty sure most, if not all, Impreza & Legacy sedans have fold down seats. Easy to find mid-late 2000's models with under 75k for decent prices this time of year.

The ex's '97 M3 coupe had fold down rear seats. Much to her chagrin, we carted my road bike to her parents' farm once. Of course, finding one with under 75K miles may be a chore...

The wife's 2010 Mazda 3 sedan has fold-down rear seats. We have fit all sorts of nonsense in that car. My old 2002 Jetta did too, and I fit my entire drum kit in there many times going to gigs, but I do not recommend that car, as mine was an epic turd.

Would your son find a 1st Gen F-Body "cool"? I went to a car museum over the weekend that had a 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with fold down rear seats!

Most BMWs have it, or at least had it as an option.

My Focus SVT has fold-down seats.

Mini?

Hmmm.

Able to swallow keyboard and amp.... check.

Under 75,000 miles.... check.

Not wagon, crossover or SUV.... check

Cool.... check!

Mom friendly..... um, probably not.

Are there other criteria you want to tell us about?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volkswagen-Bus-Vanagon-DELUXE-SUPER-RARE-1965-VW-BUS-DELUXE-TYPE2-TRANSPORT-SAFARI-orig-no-s-/380937095813?forcerrptr=true&hash=item58b19eca85&item=380937095813&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

In reply to bludroptop:

No, I'm just looking for serious replies that will help with identifying what cars have fold down rear seats.

Our 97 Camry has a huge trunk, bigger than the LS400's, and the rear seats fold down. You can put some serious stuff back there. Totally lacks "cool factor," unless you consider getting where you're going economically and in relative comfort with a boat-load of stuff "cool."

Dr. Hess wrote: Totally lacks "cool factor," unless you consider getting where you're going economically and in relative comfort with a boat-load of stuff "cool."

Yeah, that's what a 19 year old gearhead considers cool.

My '05 Accord has fold down seats as did my '07 Civic. Come to think of it, the only vehicles I've owned that didn't have fold down rear seats were standard cab pickups and my E21.

In reply to bravenrace:

I meant along the lines of budget? maximum age? what constitutes cool?

There are many cars that have fold down rear seats, from Acura to Volvo. I was just trying to find a humorous way to see if we could narrow things down a bit. Sorry to have tweaked your seriousness.

Tom Suddard wrote: My Focus SVT has fold-down seats.

If this is an option, research into it. I know my '08 S doesn't have folding seats. Different strokes for different... years?