Uppababy Vista or similar - could it be my one and only?

[Mommy_Mea]

I am city dweller who will not have a car most of the time when I am home with my baby. I want a stroller that I can use from the beginning for going for long walks out of the house, so I want something reversible and that lays flat. I want something that can go over the brick sidewalks... Also, the carseat adaptor will allow me to use it as a (heavy) snap-n-go.

The Uppababy Vista seems to fit perfectly everything I am looking for, except I am having trouble swallowing the price tag (even if I get the 2008 for $549).

For those who have the Vista (or something similar like a Bugaboo), have you found that it can be your one and only stroller for many years (2009 Vista goes to 50 pounds), less maybe a cheapo umbrella stroller?

If you found you needed an additional stroller, what was it, and why did you buy it?

I appreciate any help!!

[edurnemk]

Oh yeah, it can be the one and only! I have the 2009 Vista, and I am absolutely in love with my stroller. I walk mostly, use the car only once a week, we have bumpy sidewalks and lots of snow.
We have a small umbrella stroller I bought for air travel, because I was going to fly alone with DS and thought folding the big stroller to go through security while holding the baby would be too complicated. For all other flights we've taken the big stroller with no problem. The umbrella stroller has never been used again...
I mean after pushing the Vista, who'd want to push an umbrella? LOL

[Mommy_Mea]

Thanks! We "test drove" the Vista today, and DH was having fun pushing it around with one finger. Never could have done that with my nephew's umbrella stroller!

I just don't want to get blinded by the shiney fanciness of the high end stroller, and make sure it is a practical purchase!

[IDcam]

I'm on the same boat as you Mommy_Mea. I purchased a Chicco Cortina Travel System before my 2.5 mth DD was born. I love the KeyFit car seat and the Cortina stroller isn't that bad except I've convinced myself that I want a parent-facing stroller now.

I've been researching and reading up on all the posts here which have been tremendous help! I've tested out the 2008 and 2009 Vistas IRL and it was the first stroller my DH liked not knowing the price. He's not a shopper like me. =P Your post said that you want something that fully reclines. The Vista doesn't fully recline (or fully incline for that matter). The whole seat moves in 3 reclining positions rather than just the back part like other regular strollers. It is my favorite of the Bugaboo-like strollers out there.

If you're hesitant of the price, I found that Baby Universe is having the Blue, Silver, and Red 2009 Vistas on sale for $599. Couple that up with the BUNL175 ($10 off coupon code), a 5% discount to a Live.com account, and Bill Me Later option (which takes off up to $10 on shipping) you can get the 2009 Vista for about $20 more than the 2008. =) Too bad the Green one I like is still $659.

I'm waiting for my Beco carrier to arrive in the mail so I'm going to hold off on the Vista for a few months to see how the baby carrying goes.

Oh, another stroller to look into is the Mia Moda Atmosferra. It doesn't have a bassinet option but the seat itself fully reclines. It also doesn't give you the option to snap in your car seat so if that's important this stroller may not work for you. I found the cheapest price for it at Overstock for $269.

Check out YouTube for video demonstrations for both the Vista and Atmosferra. YouTube has been a great resource for me.

Happy shopping!

[kate2128]

We just got ours a week ago and love it so far! We live in the city, too. As long as you won't have to carry it up and down the stairs of a subway every day. We do have to carry it up and down the stairs of our apartment every day, but so far that hasn't been bad. I usually take dd upstairs in the bassinet and then come back to get the rest of the stroller. We also have a Maclaren volo that we're looking to replace with a slightly upgraded lightweight umbrella-ish stroller like a Mac Triumph or Quest. But, if you never travel, and certainly initially you could certainly use just the Vista. It's a great stroller! We have the 2009 because we're planning to get the rumbleseat and use it as a double stroller. If you plan on having more kids, it's probably worth it to just order the 2009 from the get go. You can save some money by going through live.com and getting cashback. I got mine from baby earth with 8% cashback. I think the best I've seen recently is csn baby you get 13% back. Good luck deciding.

[edurnemk]

Thanks! We "test drove" the Vista today, and DH was having fun pushing it around with one finger. Never could have done that with my nephew's umbrella stroller!

I just don't want to get blinded by the shiney fanciness of the high end stroller, and make sure it is a practical purchase!

Believe me, it's worth it, and it's as practical as a stroller can get. I first had a Graco, hated it and searched for a better one. I almost bought the Cameleon, but went for the 2009 Vista in the end. I can't believe what I had been missing! With the Graco I had to struggle to get through store doors, so did my friends with P3's, amongst many other issues. But I couldn't be happier with my Vista and never want to use any other stroller ever again! LOL. Especially now with the snow, all my friends are stranded and we can power through anything with the Vista: snow, ice, slush...

I also love the versatility of it: Car seat frame, bassinet, reversible seat...

[MamaBear]

My son is 27 months old, and our Cameleon is our one-and-only stroller. We've used it from the very start with the bassinet and, for short errands, the carseat adapter, and switched to the seat at 3 months. We've travelled lots and lots with it (we lived in Europe for a while) by car, plane, train, and ferry. Love this stroller!

(Not to say I'm not thinking about a second stroller - but that's all about want, not need....!)

[jetrlw]

I also have a Cameleon and love it! I used it with the bassinet when my DD was only a few days old. She loved it! She slept very peacefully for hours while I went on long walks. I switched to teh seat when DD was 6 months. Now she is 18 months and still loving it. I also use it as a jogging stroller. DD even falls asleep when I am running! That is just how comfy the stroller is for her. Only complaint is that it is difficult to manuever on crowded NYC subway and thus the need for an umbrella stroller. Other than that, the Cameleon is my "one and only".

[Mommy_Mea]

Thank you for all the feedback! I figure we will probably have to get a light umbrella stroller at some point for flying or trips on crowded subway trains, but I think that would be the case no matter what stroller I ended up with.

I appreciate all the tips on how to get some decent discounts on the 2009, might take some of the sting off the price tag :-) I like the idea of the rumble seat, if we have a second. I would hate to spend all this money and then have to start over again if/when we have a second!

DH spent time overseas, and is obsessed with the idea of a bassinet stroller after seeing it so often over there, so that helps him buy into the bigger price tag!

[IDcam]

Mommy_Mea, just one more thing to think about - I've read about how the Rumble Seat is parent-facing and that toddlers usually like to face forward to see what's going on. That's something I'm lulling over now. Maybe it's not a big deal. I'm don't know since mine is only 2.5 months. =)

[Mommy_Mea]

Mommy_Mea, just one more thing to think about - I've read about how the Rumble Seat is parent-facing and that toddlers usually like to face forward to see what's going on. That's something I'm lulling over now. Maybe it's not a big deal. I'm don't know since mine is only 2.5 months. =)

Thanks! I have been trying to get a peek at what the rumble seat would look like. Not crazy about the fact it is parent facing, definitely something else to mull over!

[IDcam]

Here's a link I found with a picture of the Rumble Seat -

http://site.pishposhbaby.com/blog/2008/09/09/the-all-new-2009-uppa-baby-vista-stroller-with-rumble-seat-and-piggy-back/

Apparently they're still tweeking a few things (like raising it up higher so little fingers aren't able to touch the wheels). Hopefully they'll fix that, I can just see a curious little one getting his/her fingers caught in the spokes. Yikes! =(

[Mommy_Mea]

Here's a link I found with a picture of the Rumble Seat -

http://site.pishposhbaby.com/blog/2008/09/09/the-all-new-2009-uppa-baby-vista-stroller-with-rumble-seat-and-piggy-back/

Apparently they're still tweeking a few things (like raising it up higher so little fingers aren't able to touch the wheels). Hopefully they'll fix that, I can just see a curious little one getting his/her fingers caught in the spokes. Yikes! =(

Thanks, I called today to ask about pricing for the rumble seat, and they said it would be about $100... I also asked about adapting it to a 2008, and they said it would cost about $55 if they did it, or they might sell an adaptor kit...

[ebjw]

I don't see a need for any more strollers besides the Vista. We think it's perfect. We got our 2009 for 25% off searching through live.com and buying from ebay. Maybe that deal will come back? Keep an eye on it. The price was totally worth it once I realized that by buying it we wouldn't need to buy a double when we have baby #2. There's also a piggyback, so it could even be a triple stroller! What more do you need!!?? (Ok, we do plan on getting an umbrella too) :)

[Mommy_Mea]

I don't see a need for any more strollers besides the Vista. We think it's perfect. We got our 2009 for 25% off searching through live.com and buying from ebay. Maybe that deal will come back? Keep an eye on it.

I have been obsessively watching for it to come back, why didn't I need any big ticket items when it WAS around??!! LOL

I have 4 months to go, so plenty of time to lie in wait... :) Thanks!