Is there anything as good as a Maclaren, but cheaper?!

[Cydonia]

I suspect probably not! I'm after a buggy for my 16 month old DS. I have posted on here before and a lot of people suggested a Maclaren Techno XT. I got an old 2nd hand one, and I do like it but it's a bit tatty and the newer ones seem to have a few better features ( like the extendable hood. )

I first thought that as this was just going to be a spare/car buggy it didn't matter, but I think I'm going to end up using it more than I thought as my Britax is getting a bit hard to push now DS is bigger.

So now I'm back to square one! Ideally I'd like a new XT, but don't know if I have the patience to save up! A helpful lady on here suggested a Joovy Groove, which I do like the look of but would like to see one first and they seem to be online only. The Hauck Torro also seems to fit the bill, but I've read mixed reviews about that too!

Has anyone had either of the above, or can recommend something else? Or will I just be disappointed and should wait for a shiny new XT?!

[oohdaddypig]

I have tried a few cheaper buggies and they just are not as good. Things break or snap off.

I picked up my current mclaren from gumtree. Great condition. Half the price.

[BikeRunSki]

Cheap buggies are. False economy. Look for a second hand Mclaren.

[Cydonia]

Thanks, that's what I thought! I'm a bit wary of second hand after past experience so think I'll probably go for new, at least it will have good resale value!

[Ihateparties]

Look for offers, they do come up. If you already have a used one you might as well go new.

I'm going to try a joovy groove I think though. Or a red kite push me zumi. I don't know if i want umbrella fold or not but I know I do want larger wheels and a decent hood, buggyboard compatibility etc.

Worst case scenario I would unpack carefully and just return if it was obviously unsuitable. With dc1 I happily used a m&p pipi for aaaages, it wasn't as good as my friend's quest but it wasn't as much worse as the price suggested.

[Cydonia]

I'm soo tempted by the Joovy! Might check the returns policy and try one if it's free :)

[Cydonia]

Oh, and the cheapest XT I can find is £189.99, do they ever come up less than that?

[Dollybird86]

Hi I got a xt for £177 from mothercare a few weeks ago it was 15%off, kiddiecare also had 15% off purchases over £100!

[Ihateparties]

Amazon is free for smaller items iirc.. pushchairs maybe not though. I know kiddicare isn't free returns or wasn't in the past anyway.

[Tiggywunkle]

The Kiddy City 'n Move is excellent. I prefer it to a Maclaren.

[duchessandscruffy]

I have a zeta vooom - it was 50 quid new from eBay and had been bloody great since ds was about 9 months old - in fact I would say it was better than our bugaboo cam, we have certainly used it a lot more. I can't see how a maclaren would be any better tbh.

[Cydonia]

I think I've missed the best offers, Mothercare do still have 15% off but that only makes it to just under £200!
I'm not sure about the Kiddy, one of the things I like about the XT is the big hood, which the Kiddy doesn't seem to have.
Not sure about the vooom either, seems to have very mixed reviews! Although it is tempting to just spend £50 on the pushchair and have £150 left over!

[Cydonia]

Have just realised Kiddicare do still have 15% off, making the black XT £178.50 :)

[scarlet5tyger]

Hil I got my Mclaren from Mothercare when they had 15% off, and also used a 15% off Mothercare voucher from Gurgle magazine, making it 30% off in total. They sell Gurgle in Mothercare so it might be worth having a look what offers they've got in this month before you buy.

[Iwaswatchingthat]

I found our Silver Cross Pop very good.

[getmeoutofthismadhouse]

I replaced our xlr with a silver cross pop and regretted it, almost as soon as we walked out of the shop . The pop was a total waste of money , whether they have improved tho I'm not sure coz this was 5 years ago. You can't go wrong with maclaren tho . I adored our xlr !

[Ihateparties]

The joovy groove is lovely, i'm going to try and get it side by side with a mac xt at school this week to compare and contrast..

[Cydonia]

Ooh ihateparties, did you get the Joovy groove then? I got a new XT in the end, DP more or less insisted as he said he couldn't cope with me getting a cheaper one I ended up not liking! But I'm still curious about the Groove, mainly because I like having something no one else has got ( though to be fair I've not seen a blue XT round here yet ) :)

[SweetSkull]

I have a zeta voom and it is horrendous.

[Ihateparties]

I have the groove yes... it's great, really fab. I still can't quite get on with umbrella folds generally.

I love it when I'm on my own with dc3, it works great with the lascal mini but if the other two are with me being awkward (which is much of the time) then i struggle to steer etc.


It's lovely quality though, great hood, nice handles, nice fabrics, decent basket etc. It's a very similar size to the XT. I've pushed a lot of pushchairs now and in context the £110ish new price tag is a bargain imo.

[Cydonia]

That's good, though not really what I wanted to hear! :) I was surprised how much I liked the Maclaren though, wasn't expecting much from a stroller but it's much sturdier and smoother than I thought it would be. I find the recline a bit tricky to use, but probably won't be needing to use it that much.