Hey again, I'm also having some stroller anxiety. I have been following discussions here and thought I was all set to get the Runaround. However, upon further scrutiny by my DH, it seems that this would not be practical for living in NYC. Apparently it does not seem that it will collapse and fit into the back of our station wagon, but requires a special trailer that you hook onto the back of your car. Perhaps if we were in the suburbs we would manage, but city driving with a trailer attached just seems too impractical. We would like to get a stroller that we can use for a LONG time. It seems that infants quickly outgrow many of the strollers and then you have to upgrade. Since we are in such desperate financial stress, we can't imagine spending over $600 on a stroller only to have to do it all over again in a year. Is this just the way it is and I have to accept it, or can someone suggest a collapsable stroller that we might get more longevity out of? Many thanks. Loretta

The Runabout does collapse to a point.

All of the seats can be removed, the handle pushes down, and the rear wheels come off.

If you do all of this it takes about 2-3 minutes to put back together (0nce you get the hang of it.)

As for replacing it, it is rated to hold children up to 55 lbs (each).

We have had ours since day 1 and are now going on 3 years, and trying to decide if they have outgrown it (i.e. they don't want to sit, they want to walk).

Being that you are in a very large metro area, I am sure that there must be someone that you can connect with in the area to look at one first hand and try it out. That is what we did before we bought ours. Fortunatly for us, we were able to go directly to the manufacturer and try it out.

If you have any more questions please let any of us loyal Runabout fans know.

Forgot to add that we have never used a trailer for ours (it isn't really a trailer at all just a plate that the Runabout sits on) There are pictures of exactly what it looks like in the Photo Forum.

We have always just loaded ours up into the van and been done with it.

We have removed the rear seat and it goes right in after pushing the handle down and removing the sun shade (like we ever use it here in AK, it is usually the rain sheild.) No tear down for us.

Gargoyle plus 3
Dad to BBB 05/03/00

I think that it would fit in a station wagon, if you take out the back seat. I have used the stroller in NYC once or twice and it was great to push through the crowds because it is rather narrow. Much easier than my side-by-side double. The only problem I had was that in some of the older buildings the elevator was teeny tiny and I had to push down the handle and sqeeze us in sideways to fit. I just checked the used stroller listing for NY and there are not any listed right now. Have you looked on Ebay? I think there was one listed there recently. It might be good to get a used one if money is tight. They hold up really well. Mine is 4 years old and going strong. I am using it to walk with two of my 4 year old and the 6 month old.

Thanks for the feedback. We measured the back of our wagon, and, unfortunately the dimensions are too small to fit the runabout. We were disappointed as people seem to LOVE it and it really seems like a durable product. Thanks for the EBAY tip, I haven't checked there yet. Loretta

Did you think about laying it on its side when taking the measurements.

There is no reason that it has to sit up. And if you measure at an angle (that's how we get ours into the van with no tear down), from the front left corner to the rear right corner.

You may also want to consider the platform, as you could store the platform in the station wagon when you are parked wherever and only take it out when you are actually going to be on the road.

That way you still have the Runabout, you are taking virtually no room up in the back of the wagon and you never have to worry about tear down. And parking is no longer any more of an issue than it is now.

Look at the following images to see what the platform looks like.





Trust those of us that have these, you want to find a way to make this work for you, it is one the best (if not the best) strollers made.

Gargoyle plus 3
Dad to BBB 05/03/00

If you want a stroller that is going to last a long time, go for the runabout. It is the ideal stoller for the city as IMHO, it is the most manuverable. I don't think there has been any place that I haven't been able to go with it. If you need a smaller turning radius, colaplse the handle all the way down and that will usually work. Yes there are some small elevators but for the most part you can usually squese the stroller in. I'm in NJ and before paramus park re did their elevtors They had a very small one. I wasn't sure if the stoller would fit in that one but it did. The hitch goes on and off and a matter of seconds. The larger wheels also make it ideal for city use.

I am cleaning mine up and will be selling it soon. I have the hitch, and sunpanels in addition to the sunshade and basket.

Mom2aej
Amelia, Emily & Jarrett 4/9/99

"Just when you get a handle on life... It changes."

Mom2aej
Amelia, Emily & Jarrett 4/9/99

"Just when you get a handle on life... It changes."

Hi, how much was the hitch , where did you find it and do they fit on any car? I can't seem to find them, and I was told I could get one at U-Haul for 350.00 , no way. any ideas? Thanks

Steve

Hi Loretta, we have a runabout for our 10 month old trips. we were very fortunate, a very generous person bought it for us. We do not have a trailer hitch on our Ford Taurus Station Wagon, it does fit into the back easily just lowering the bar, but when our 6 year old girl joins us, that is her seat, so I have recently discovered the roof. I put it up on the roof on the wheels and bungy it down to the roof rack, it has been working great, don't know if I'd do it for long trips. I am still looking into the platform thing also.