How to Get a Screaming Deal on a Baby Jogging Stroller
Devina in her first race, an 8k, with dad and uncle Sam!
As I've mentioned before on this blog, Sue and I are not planning on buying a stroller because we want to carry Devina close to us as much as possible, to maximize our 'skin-to-skin' contact time. So to that extent, I did a pretty in-depth review of baby carriers, and the Baby Bjorn ONE took the prize in a last-minute upset.
However, I've always wanted to take Devina on races with me, and so I went on the hunt for a great jogging stroller. After doing a bunch of research, I found the Chariot line of strollers, which Thule picked up awhile back, so now they're branded as 'Thule Chariot.' Their top of the line jogging stroller is the CX-1, which MSRPs at $1,049.95. Yikes.
But here's a pro-tip: If you are willing to pick up one of the CX-1 strollers just branded as "Chariot" and not as "Thule Chariot," you can get one of those for $697 on Amazon -- and that's with the jogging attachment, which usually runs an additional $75. But there are only four left on Amazon, so they won't last forever. The differences between the old model and the new Thule model are very minor; the biggest one being disc brakes vs. drum brakes.
That's a great way to save 40%. But here's an even better tip: Ever heard of Amazon Warehouse? It's where Amazon sells its open box stuff. And it's awesome. If you're willing to buy a Chariot that someone else returned, you can get an even steeper discount. The inventory comes and goes, but right now Amazon Warehouse has two available for $458:
Awesome! And when I bought mine, I got it for $395 -- that's over 60% off! And it was in completely like-new condition.
Another benefit to the Chariot is that it has other attachments, like a strolling attachment ($85 on Amazon), a bike attachment ($68 on Amazon), and even a cross-country ski attachment ($285 on Amazon), which makes it super versatile.
Hope that pro-tip helps, and happy jogging!