I know this is going to sounds silly but I've always wanted an umbrella stroller! I've always had big heavy strollers and I thought it would be so nice to have a light one that fit in the trunk, along with groceries!

The problem was that I'm 5 foot 8 and the umbrella strollers were all too short for me. Sure you can buy those extender things but they just look so dorky!

I first learned about Maclaren strollers on a baby equipment board. I'm a car seat tech and I frequently went there to help people with car seat choices. There I kept hearing people go on and on about Maclaren strollers and became very curious.

I found a techno at the right start store and really loved it! It rolled so smoothly and it would be great for shopping, since it would actually fit in aisles. Knowing my husband would kill me if I spent that much on a stroller I put it out of my mind.

Then one day while I was at babies R us I asked the sales person if they had any Maclaren strollers. He said they one model and it was on clearance. I looked at it and saw the price tag and about died! It was marked down to $60! They had three. The sales guy said they had been marked down for 6 months and yet they were still there!

unfortunately this was at X-mas time and I didn't have even $60 to spare! My plan was to go buy all three of them when I had the money, keep one for myself, and sell the other two on ebay.

After X-mas I went to go buy them and of course the two in boxes were gone and all that was left was the display. I went ahead and bought it and got an extra 10% off because the canopy was broken. I ended up paying around $50!

I got home and called the company to order a basket for it, I had e-mailed them before I bought it and they said it would cost $10. When I called, they didn't charge me at all! I was SO impressed!

I have been using the stroller for the last 8 months and I can't imagine ever using a full size stroller again. I did take my evenflo trendsetter to the zoo once because I needed the extra room in the basket and I HATED IT! It was so big and bulky and hard to push with one hand.

The only thing I didn't like about the stroller was that the handles were too hard. I guess I'm spoiled by the other strollers I've owned. I went to the baby equipment board that I'm on and asked them for suggestions. One mom suggested going to a bicycle shop for hand grips which is just what I did!

I have been VERY impressed with my stroller! The only thing that I'm a bit worried about is the harness. It has a 5-point harness but it doesn't go small enough for a small child. My youngest son was 2 when I bought the stroller and the harness set the tightest was still big on him. I think it came with some extra straps, I'll have to figure out how to use them when we have our third.

All in all I'm very lucky to have found such a great deal! I never would have been able to convince my husband to let me spend that much on a stroller! I would really like a plaid one, I might have to get one when we have our third. I'm sure I could sell this one on ebay for at least twice what I paid for it.

UPDATE!
I have now used my stroller at least every other day for a year and a half! Still LOVE IT! Only problem was my canopy broke where it hooks to the stroller. I called Maclaren customer service and tried to buy a new canopy since not only would this one now not stay on the stroller but it had two defects in it from when I bought it.

Maclaren said they didn't have any solid blue ones to sell me but I could send the hood in and they would fix it. I asked how much it would cost to do that and he said it would be free! He never asked how old the stroller was or how long I had owned it. The stroller is a 1998 model and I have now had it a year and a half.

I shipped the canopy to Maclaren and it came back a week later with all three things that were broken fixed!

I am SO impressed with the company I've decided I must buy another maclaren when I buy my next stroller! I love mine but it can't be reclined enough for a newborn and we are trying to have a third. I'm looking forward to buying my next Maclaren!







Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $50
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months