Prams! Uppababy Vista V2 or no?

[deliwoman1]

Hi everyone!

We're not sure about prams...

Have done research, and we think probably the best, if-money-were-no-object option for us is the Uppababy Vista V2. We like that it's convertible to a double buggy with a single footprint (due to my age if we want a 2nd child we may need to get cracking on that relatively soon after DD1), that it seems robust enough for some tricky terrain (we're in London but have family in the countryside, and I like parks and walks etc), and that it has a carrycot suitable for overnight sleeps (we hope to use it for our downstairs moses basket).

Grandma and Granddad have kindly given us £1k, but now we've got the money to splurge we're finding it hard to bite the bullet! I've had a surprisingly difficult time finding one second hand in decent nick, and honestly I'm a bit sick of the time and energy I've spent hunting every little thing we can second hand. But, these bloody things don't ever seem to hit the sales!

Does anyone have a Vista V2 and do you think it's worth it? In fact, is it ever worth spending this much on a buggy?! We technically have the cash, but there's always something else to spend it on, isn't there? If we have a 2nd child it seems like a more reasonable investment, but if we can't/don't maybe less so...? Ugh, I'm so tired!

I loooooooooooooooved my Vista. Only used it as a single but it was brilliant in every way.

It was borrowed and I now have a Cosatto, having given the Vista back. It feels so much cheeper and crappier, and I miss the vista literally every time I use it.

if I were to do it again I’d look for a second hand Vista. They’re so hard wearing that there are some very good second hand ones around, for less than a cheeper new buggy.

I’ve just passed mine on after six years of use and I think it was definitely worth the money. I had two kids with a two year age gap, so we used the single carrycot, seat, car seat adapter function, bought the rumble seat as they got older, the works! It was absolutely brilliant, sturdy and easy to use, good big basket bit underneath. Not super light, but it lasted the years well. I’m tall and mainly chose it because the handle went high enough to be comfortable for me. Also the handle is one long bar rather than two separate handles, so you can push it and also carry a coffee if you’re desperate.
We used ours on loads of different terrain and it got absolutely battered by the end of our use, but we really got our money’s worth, I think it’s a great pram system!

I have the Vista and totally love it. Really sturdy and fab on all terrains, we have used it everywhere & never had any bother. My son is almost 3 and I'm about to have our second and can't wait to get even more use out of it. I haven't used any other prams though..... so can't compare. We were between that and a bugaboo but I'm tall & liked the height of the vista. Yes it is expensive but if you divide it up by cost per use it's good value!

I haven't used it but I have the Vista bookmarked for future purchase for myself. It's excellent quality and (despite what a lot of MN users say who insist anything more than a 25 year old Maclaren is excessive) you often get what you pay for with pushchairs. I've heard that while the two child mode is useful to get through a pinch point, it's unwieldy to push and if you need that setup for more than a few months, a side by side stroller is a better option. There's a YouTube channel called the Stroller Workshop who do lots of impartial stroller reviews based on their experience repairing strollers and they rate the Vista very highly.

I have the original vista (second hand £50) and I think it's great! Would never pay £1k though

I have one and I'm in SW London. I LOVE it! It's brilliant even with one DC because we bought the adapters and often attach the car seat to the front so if we go out for the day, we can eg. taxi back from the station or the outing, whilst still being able to take the bassinet / toddler seat + car seat. We bought ours from Mamas and Papas when they had an offer on - if you spent over £1k, you got a £100 voucher to spend in store. So it didn't feel as bad. Im really glad i made the investment though.

The only downside is it is very bulky in comparison to others (bugaboo bee and babyzen yoyo seem popular down here). We are planning on buying a smaller lighter buggy for when DD is 1yr + for if we are just out for the day in the city together. I hear most people end up with two (or more!) buggies anyway! But on the whole, i wouldn't be without mine.

I love mine! It was my best baby purchase. Are you having a spring/summer baby? One of the best features is its ventilation (lots of little flaps with added ventilation, and at the base of the bassinet) and gigantic sunshade which is hidden under the hood but can be pulled out to cover the whole bassinet / nearly the whole toddler seat. I don’t think any other prams had this. It has great suspension, has amazing steering (can steer one handed) and copes with different terrain well. It goes up and down pavement easily while some of my friends find their prams bounce all over the place. The basket is huge, so handy for picking up some shopping. The bassinet cover is also really soft and luxurious- my summer baby used to rub her face against the edge to get herself off to sleep in it, it was that comforting for her. She’s now in the toddler seat and even though she is a pain to get to nap at home, she naps well in that. If she’s tired and on the verge of falling asleep while we are out I tilt the seat back and pull the sunshade right down over her toes like a parrot to block out all stimuli.

Have you been somewhere like John Lewis to road test some?

I loved my vista. Mine was a much older 2012 model so they are probably even better now. They are build like tanks. I used mine for all three babies and it got a right battering and was still great. My mum bought it for me when I was expecting DC1 and honestly it was a great purchase. It's a dream to push. You only realise how good it is when you push a different pram and realise how sturdy the uppababy is compared to most others on the market.

Wow, thank you everyone! This is so helpful. It looks like a thumbs up for the Vista.

I'm leaning toward us getting one more now. I'm 5'0, my partner is 6'2, and we're doing childcare 50/50 so we definitely need a buggy that serves us both. We tried it in John Lewis, and it was the best of the options they had in there, but will definitely have another test drive.

@Crumpet7 7 Yes, a summer baby! She's due 3rd July. The carrycot ventilation and sunshade really appealed to me too!

@AnotherNC22 Nice to hear from a fellow Londoner! 😀The bulk and weight of the Vista do worry me slightly, especially because I'll probably be stubborn and refuse to buy a second, lighter weight buggy. Baby Zen YoYo popular in SE London too. It was on the list but ultimately it's just too flimsy for me. Same for the Bee.

I adore my Vista. Yes, it’s a bit of a beast but it was so useful when we lived in a city and I didn’t drive. The undercarriage had plenty of room for the weekly shop plus all the day to day kid kit, and when we travelled by train to visit relatives we shoved all the luggage under there. Now we have a car and live in the countryside I use it less but if I go into town or travel without DH it is still brilliant —. and going really strong almost 4 years in. Would defo recommend.

If you're London way really recommend A3 Baby Barn in Chessington for prams. They let us try our vista out in the car to make sure it fitted and ended up cheaper than John Lewis. Also could order the colour way we wanted which was out of stock at JL. Baby hasn't arrived yet so can't speak to how good the vista is in real life but we are really happy we chose it, just have to hope baby likes it too!

*I know Chessington isn't really London but it's the closest independent baby stuff shop we could find to us!

I've got a Vista - it's ace in every way. I also had one for my older child. I bought them both second hand. The one I'm using at the moment was £150, and seems barely used. Have a look on eBay - there are bargains to be had! Just make sure the tyres have plenty of wear left - they can be expensive to replace.

Get the vista. I bought mine for DS1 6 years ago. Still going strong for DD 16 months.

You can get some bargains second hand.

My husband recently broke the seat on ours (him being a dick not the chairs fault) managed to get a second hand seat for £20.

When we need to be more manoeuvrable I tend to use the sling. But I really don't think you can beat the uppababy as a work horse

I know this is an old thread but just encase anyone is reading this for advice.
I purchased a Vista back in 2015 (new style) when due our first child. We had planned a second baby quickly after so the double feature attracted us alot. The vista was fab as a single - robust, stable, comfortable, easy to clean and take apart. I would say the two downsides are that is is quite heavy for lifting and is larger than average so it a pain to fit round some shops or get in a small boot. But i manage to get it in my mums Corsa easily enough if i pop the two main wheels off.
6 years later we finally welcomed our second baby in 2022 following some fertility issues and have used the same vista for him. Never had any issues with it, no breakages. We are now due a third baby this year so will actually get to use it as a double. I was surprised how pricey the rumble seat and adapters are to convert it to a double. But then i thought actually this pushchair will have seen us through THREE children so we will have definitely got our moneys worth. I have managed to source the upper and lower adapters via Vinted for £40 and the rumble seat on Facebook for £100 so not too bad in the end.
I have no regrets on the Vista and would definitely recommend it. :)