When considering purchasing a used car seat there are some things to consider.  These items are as follows:

1)  Do you know the history of the seat?  You will want to know if it has been in an accident, even a minor one with or without a child.  Many car seat manufacturers require seats to be replaced if they have been in any type of accident while other manufatures have different crash standards, i.e. minor crash v. major crash with air bag deployment.  This information is noted in the owner's manual for the car seat.  That being said, in general, if it has been in any type of accident, it needs replaced.

2)  Is this seat 6 years old or older?  If it is, it is no longer considered safe to use due to exposure to temperature extremes and advancements in safety technology.  To restate, the car seat will expire 6 years after date of manufacture.

3)  Is this seat on a recall or a consumer advisory?  To find this information, you will need the brand of car seat, the name of the model of car seat (for example:  Graco snugride), the model number and the date of manufacture.  With this information, you can find out if your seat has been recalled.  Two web sites are www. NHTSA.gov and www. CPSC.gov,  (Respectively, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and Consumer Product Safety Commission) both carry information on recalled products.

4)  Does the seat have all of the parts that came with it?  You will want the owner's manual and any parts that came with the seat.  To investigate what came with the seat originally, contact the manufacturer either on the web or by telephone.

Your child/children are precious.  Please take the time to do your homework when considering a used seat.  Remember the best seat is the one that fits your child and your car.  Make sure that you are using your seat right and have it checked by a Certified Passenger Safety Technician.