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Pushchairs

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Original poster

Bugaboo Donkey.... Help!

14 replies

MrsNutella · 15/05/2014 10:39

Hello,

I have a DS and am expecting DC2 at the start of August. DS will be 19 months (just) when DC2 arrives. I want a double buggy with options for parent facing and where the DCs sit side by side. I use public transport regularly and we have a Maclaren single in the car for days out. Our main buggy at the moment is an Emmaljunga. While I don't doubt it's very cosy for DS it does drive me nuts because there is no room underneath for shopping and it has the proportions of a mini tank.

I live in Germany so not all the pram choices available are the same as what's available in the UK.

I have a buggy obsessed friend who has helped me whittle down my choices.
Top is the bugaboo Donkey. The versatility is a big bonus. Just trying to justify the price tag to myself and DH.

The other choices are:
Teutonia team Cosmo - don't like the giant single hood

Emmaljunga Viking - put off the brand by current buggy irritations

And the first wheels city twin.

I want to know if the donkey is worth the money? The new price is about 1.400â?¬ and second hand seems to be 1.100â?¬ ish so not a big saving when buying second hand. Bonus of buying new would be the guarantee. I am planning a third DC (DH isn't totally sure yet ). So I also want the buggy to last until last baby no longer needs it.

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsNutella · 16/05/2014 19:06

Really, no one with any helpful advice as to why I should or shouldn't consider the donkey?
I'm torn. I'd like it but it is pricey... Is it a comfortable ride for babies?

OP posts:

Ihateparties · 16/05/2014 22:52

I haven't had one, I pushed one for the first time recently and it was really great but personally I don't do side by sides, I couldn't handle the width. If you can it's lovely. Dd2 looked good in the seat without a huge amount of growing room but perfectly fine (she's 75th centile 2y2m). There was a decent looking babywelt twin floating about on amazon.de not that long ago, have you seen any of those around?

Pregnantagain7 · 18/05/2014 22:09

I'm expecting my fourth dc, there will be 13 months between dc3 and 4 so I need a double buggy. I think I'm going to go for the donkey I currently have a chameleon whisk has lasted two children and has been great.

I'm going for the donkey because I like the fact that you can clip a car seat on the top and you canhave them facing you.
The down sides as I see it is that you have to build it each time you get in and out of the car and it's quite bulky to fit in the car (but I suppose most doubles are)

I'm planning to use it until the youngest is about 18 months then sell it on eBay and get a baby city jogger which seems to be the best double around. If this had a parent facing option and you could clip a car seat on I would def get this.

The price is eye watering once you've added all the extra bits on I think our combination is going to be around £1300 am seriously considering mothercares interest free credit option!!! :)

Pregnantagain7 · 18/05/2014 22:11

Which not whisk!

looki · 19/05/2014 01:42

I've been on a quest for the 'perfect' double for months. I have a Cameleon and love it, for me it really is the perfect buggy.

I bought a tandem as I use public transport but it just didn't feel right to have one child sitting looking into the back of another seat.

This week I bought the donkey which I should have bought originally. I bought second hand as need to keep my tandem for the city and public transport.

It's very light and the children are happier. It's not the perfect buggy due to its width (only negative) butt the perfect double buggy doesn't exist.

looki · 19/05/2014 01:43

Original poster

MrsNutella · 19/05/2014 20:30

Thanks for the replies ladies!
It is the price that makes my eyes water.
We went to look at buggies at the weekend. Honestly I was disappointed in the quality and smoothness of the bugaboo. The hoods seemed really simple and clicky.

I would worry about the buggy being warm enough here. Winter temperatures in Germany can be easily -7/-10 in the middle of the day and here in the north the wind is biting!

I think the shop model was a bit older. I wanted it to convince DH and I that this buggy is the "bees knees" and totally worth the money. It didn't

My sort of back up is the TFK twinner twist duo. It costs 500 ish less even after I've bought the extra bits for it - stupid buggy doesn't come with rain covers.

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsNutella · 19/05/2014 20:31

I would worry about the buggy being warm enough here. Winter temperatures in Germany can be easily -7/-10 in the middle of the day and here in the north the wind is biting!

I think the shop model was a bit older. I wanted it to convince DH and I that this buggy is the "bees knees" and totally worth the money. It didn't

My sort of back up is the TFK twinner twist duo. It costs 500 ish less even after I've bought the extra bits for it - stupid buggy doesn't come with rain covers.

OP posts:

Borttagen · 20/05/2014 12:50

Hi, I'm looking at the donkey too as all going well will have an 18 month gap between DCs 2 and 3 and my current doubles (DCs 1 and 2 have a 2 year gap and DC1 still wants to be in buggy when tired) are hated by both my children. I have a Britax B dual and neither one wants to be in the bottom seat and I have an Emmaljunga which is an absolute pain to push and DC2 finds it really uncomfortable.
I'm in Sweden and we have temps down to -20 in winter and very icy winds from a large lake and everyone here seems to have the donkey if they have two small DC so I think it will handle that fine. You can buy thicker footmuffs I think?
I have heard the hood is a bit flimsy and easy for older toddlers to pull off but I have to admit I really regret not just buying this when Dc2 was coming along despite the high price tag. I've been in tears out with mine with one or both DC crying and find myself reluctant to leave the house a lot as I can't face them giving out...
If my scan goes ok next week we are buying the donkey and I just hope they are happy with it! Of course then ill have to look into a buggy board eventually...
But I think now having learned my lesson with the other two buggies that the high price of the donkey is worth it if it works for you and the DC as you rely on a buggy so much with two small ones.

Original poster

MrsNutella · 21/05/2014 18:20

Borttagen thank you for your response!
That's an interesting point of view. I haven't seen that many Donkey's around here locally so it's difficult to judge (I have seen a bazillion Emmaljunga buggies but it looks like a minimum 3 year age gap is also very common) how they wear through the year.

I was very disappointed with the hood. How it extended, how it didn't extend smoothly at all and how flimsy and cheap it seemed. I will have another look at it in another shop, because I love having the parent facing option.

Please let me know how you get on with it if you do go for one!

Thank you.

OP posts:

katandkits · 21/05/2014 21:21

I have a donkey. DS only just 2 and baby 2 due in a few weeks. I bought second hand but they hold their value so that was still expensive. Largely you are paying extra for the brand name but it is a great pram and very versatile. Lovely to push and if you are prepared to take wheels off it folds down small in the car. So many different options. Bugaboo make a high performance footmuff which would be good in the chilly winter.

However it is not the ideal buggy for public transport. I would say one child in maclaren and other in a sling is a better bet for that. The donkey can fit on a bus but it is not easy and if anyone needed the wheelchair space you wouldn't just be able to fold, you'd have to get off.

Original poster

MrsNutella · 28/05/2014 10:03

Argh I am still torn. It is the expense that makes me dither. I'd like it but we're really not made of money and unless I can pick it up at a slightly more bargain price I think we will go with a cheaper option.

OP posts:

Linguaphile · 02/06/2014 22:42

I have a donkey and absolutely love it. We don't have a car, so public transport with the buggy is my bread and butter, and honestly it's fine! Fits sideways right into the handicap space so I can always share the space with another pram on the bus. Recently took my 9 month old twins in it on a 4 hour journey to my mother-in-law's entirely on public transport, no problem.

You can get them used on Ebay or Gumtree for half the price, so don't let the shop price scare you off. I also have a Mclaren and absolutely hate pushing it as it's so cumbersome compared to the Donkey. If you can swing buying a used one, you won't regret it!

Linguaphile · 02/06/2014 22:52

Oh, I should mention that we did actually get ours secondhand, and since that time it hasn't depreciated in value at all. We could sell it on for close to what we bought it for, easily. That was a big selling point with my DH. :)

The parent-facing option is really worth it. As for it feeling flimsy, I think that's more just bugaboo making the pram as lightweight as possible. Believe me, a double pram that feels 'sturdy' is not what you want when you're pushing uphill or lugging it up a flight of stairs!

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