With the 2005 MY, the 3rd row seating will most likley be a costly option (there was a special promo for no charge for the remaining 2004s).

I see that these seats fold upwards and still takes up some rear interior room, but not that much.

I have a little baby girl and her car seat takes up most of the rear seat, so with more kids sure the additioinal 3rd row seating seems nice, but will it really be put to good use and is it just a costly option that you will only use once in a while?

For you 3rd row seat owners, do you feel that the 3rd row seating was worth it. Why not? And if you do think it was worth it, please advise your good points about the 3rd row seating.

Thanks again!

 

i think it's only useful for little kids that don't mind about leg room!

 

A couple of good reasons.....the backs fold forward just like many 3rd row seats do. The also then fold to the side in case you need a flat floor but still need to keep them in the vehicle in a pinch.

They are a breeze to remove and since they are two seats, they're pretty light weight.

Finally, they may make your vehicle more desirable when it comes time to sell (if you're not leasing).

We use our 3rd row with our kid's friends. My father in law stores his 3rd row seats in the garage on his GX and puts them in when he knows he'll have more than 5 in the vehicle.

Oh, and you get the rear air, which is a nice feature for the 2nd row also.

 

This might be a moot point since I am not aware of anyone who got one without. I think they ALL come with it, whether you like it or not. Pls advise if that's not the case.

 

Hello Davidc1,

Based on the Lexus Dealer Letter and other reports, the 3rd Row Seating will revert back to an $2,000+ option. At this time their is a promo to have them included with the 2004 at no extra charge.

 

These are very good reasons and I do like the versatility of the 3rd row, you can use them when needed.

 

My understanding of it is that the 3rd row, although a $2030 "option", is pretty much mandatory based on the builds from Lexus. Even special orders have a difficult time getting one without it.

You can pretty much plan on paying for it - especially on a Sport Package which will only be built with all of the options!

 

according to lexus canada website. the 3rd row seat and the mark levinson is standard the only options are the dvd nav and rses. so i think it is definately worth the wait

 

You are most likely correct, even though it's an option, it's more of a mandatory option!

 

I did not want the 3rd row when i got my gx, but the thought of waiting 3months for a special order made me choose to go with them. i've used them once or twice, but it's nice to know you can stick 5 or 6 people in there comfortably if you need to.

 

I picked my wife's GX up yesterday. 1st thing she asked me to do was take the 3rd row seats out and put them in the house. We have no kids yet though.

 

I asked the dealer to unlatch the third row seats before picking up my truck so all that was necessary was the two short trips to the closet. No kids either.

 

I have a 2 kids, both in baby seats. I have both baby seats in the second row. When I have friends or relatives over, I move the baby seats to the third row so the adults can sit in the 2nd row. It works pretty well. Both of my kids are using the Britax Marathon Convertible seats (which are not small), and they work well in either the 2nd or 3rd row. I should mention that installing two baby seats in the 3rd row means not using the latch system, but seat-belts instead.

The third row is not roomy enough for kids older than about 10 years of age. An adult certainly cannot sit in the 3rd row with any level of comfort.

I'm very glad I have the third row - it's been handy many times with my young kids.

 

I hang my seats in the garage until needed. I use them on short trips with my older kids (19 & 23) and their girlfriends. They don't mind the closeness. If we have 2 kids and the grand daughter, she goes in the back with her booster seat, on 1 rear seat. I usually load her up through the back door. I think they are nice to get everyone in one vehicle, but then again, I don't have this to often.

 

Based on all of your great comments, it really looks like I don't need the 3rd row seat, since it's just used once in a while, however very nice when you need to haul a lot of people, however it also seems that I will not have any choice NOT to get the 3rd row seats, since most of the 2005 GX470's incoming at this time will have it equipped with the 3rd row seat (which of course is no longer included like the late model 2004s and an extra option, which means more money).

Geez, I would take the Sports Package option over the 3rd Row Seating anyday! And the Sports Package Option is lower in cost than the 3rd row seating, unfortunately the allotment makes you get them both together, which puts the GX as it's most expensive price and you can try to special order, but who knows how long it will take!