Rear Entertainment Package...
 

Would you get it on a 3 year, leased car if you thought you might have a toddler sometime in the next year or so?

Though I assume my wife's car will serve as the baby hauler.. I"m thinking about my car and what I should and shouldn't have.

Thx.

I decided not to get one because where it is located (center armrest). If it is folded, you can't open the armrest. But, certainly could've used it when we were on a 12 hour trip.

Since I'm not expecting yet. Have to assume that the age range of a potential toddler while I'm leasing the car will be from 0-3 years old.

I thought it was important to have something in the car that commands their attention so the driver can drive.

BLine, unless the baby is coming real soon, how much MTv, SpongeBob, et al,
is a 1-2 yr old gonna watch? He/she isn't living in the back seat. ;)
And, when the car goes back, do you just eat the rear entertainment portion...

Somehow my Kidz, 40+ & 39, made it through 20 yrs in the back seat.
:D
GL,mD

I have a 20 month-old.. for 1+ hour drives, sesame street comes on.. specifically on a portable $150 DVD player that attaches to the headrest - a fraction of the cost of OEM. Not as fancy, but unless you use it often, it's not worth it.

Thanks..

And MD,

If my kids are anything like the way I was when I was a kid.. Not only will an entertainment package be needed but so will some ball gags and restraints..

LOL..

Well... if your wife isn't pregnant yet. The rear seat entertainment won't be used for that time (assuming no one else is sitting there that will use it). As an infant (birth-1 year old), they'll be rear facing anyways. So assuming that you let them watch it once they are 1. You'll only use it for a little over a year.

If your wife is anything like mine (she approved the purchase, but after our son arrived. She got swayed by the grand parents saying that it's bad for the child's eyes), the rear seat entertainment probably won't be used enough to be worth it.

HUK got the right idea. Get one that is portable, you can use it in restaurants in the future.

and ... the rear entertainment package isn't very good anyway. For example it isn't well integrated with the rest of the car's entertainment capabilties. For example, it can't playback DVD disk that are in the DVD changer, in the front of the car. Very lame. BMW after thought. If they were giving the thing away for a low cost ... thats one thing, but given the cost of the thing, its a complete rip-off.

The other side of the arguement: My sister just bought a new used SUV. She had a choice between one that had the RSE and one that didn't. She wouldn't even look at the one without it, after a trip with her three year old. Totally worth it. Trade in value might not change much, but how quick it would 'for sale by owner' might. Panoroof and you can't install a standard drop down from the roof. You would have to go with the headrest models, with the tiny screens.

I prefer the overhead set-up the best. Then the dual headrest. (They just didn't have one that looked nice enough that would work with the active headrests). Having it in the middle isn't that great (especially since you can't fold it down in the other direction (or retract it somewhere (as in a pop-up setup).

The RSE screen is pretty small.

But I completely agree with you that for re-selling purposes it's definitely helps. Plus if you have toddlers at the age that can really take advantage of a RSE, then definitely.

But the OP is just leasing for 3 years at a point where the kid isn't quite big enough to really use it.

I'd save the money to have it put in the car after.