what is the best stroller to buy for singletons or twins?

my friend who is expecting B/G twins asked for my advice on a double stroller.  here's what i wrote her with some parts edited, of course:

stroller necessary?
anyway, for the first six weeks, we didn't go ANYWHERE with the girls let alone by myself.  i mean, we ONLY went to dr. appt. (mine and theirs) and i had help each time (i either scheduled it around my husband's schedule or i waited for my mom to pop into town from CA).  most of the time, we just carried the carseats because it was much easier.
until i remember when they were six weeks old that i decided to go to Kid to Kid with my friend, her daughter, and my girls when they were wearing these outfits.  it took me two hours to get them ready/put them in the car, and by the time we actually got there, my hubby had met up with us and helped me take them out of the car. lol. i didn't have to do any tremendous heavy lifting/sorting out the crazy stroller situation:)  

first stroller
regardless, the first stroller was not the original one we wanted.  however, it was one that my fellow mom friend of identical twin girls suggested and we bought it from her for $50.  it was the Double Snap 'N Go and it served its primary focus: strap my babies in, and take them somewhere.  it wasn't bad, and we definitely got the usage out of it, however... i had a few complaints that turned out to be major:
1. no diaper bag room: once the babies are strapped in, there's NO/little room for you to gather something from your diaper bag (which will be full for two babies).  it's virtually unreachable.  i hate that.  now, it's reachable ONCE the babies are out of the stroller or at least one baby is. see.
2. its wheels: if you're active, then this stroller isn't for you.  with the wheels it has, it isn't developed well enough to go over rocky terrain.  i mean, it's suitable for everyday use, but if you want to have a stroller that you'll plan on taking on walks, for a jog, on a hike (yah right, lol), etc..., then it's not for you.  i struggled with this stroller just going around the block on walks because a rock would get caught in the cheap wheels, it wouldn't go over the dirt correctly, a curb/concrete bump would catch it, and if your babies are sleeping, then the jerk might wake them up.
3. fold it: to close it, i felt as if it was a bit tricky and heavy (neither of which you want when your babies are screaming for you!).  it also didn't fold down very well and took up a lot of room, unfortunately.  HOWEVER, it was good.  it's a GREAT starter stroller. :)
4. pushing: i found it was difficult to steer because it was so long/straight, as well as it was HEAVY to push.
5. short-term: you won't use this stroller forever.  it's only suited for carseat accommodation.  so, once your babies start to grow long enough to touch their toes in the others' carseat while in the stroller, they have then grown out of this.  this happened to my girls (who are extremely LONG) around 6mo.  so, this stroller is short-term.  yes, yours might not grow as mine did, however, the most you'll use this is one-year.  they do now recommend that infants be in carseat carriers for two years, however, it depends on how long your baby is in this stroller.


stroller we use
i blogged about it here and here.  as i wrote, the stroller that i REALLY wanted was a Baby Jogger City Select (originally, i wanted a different one but turns out that didn't accommodate two carseats like i would need).  
- see all the variations? 
- does show a demo video.
- didn't go with BJ or BuyBuyBaby (the only place around where you can test it out) because we found it cheaper through an online distributor that i found through CraigsList.  now, i was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be legit when i saw the distributor was endorsed by BJ under their Internet Retailer section. :) 
- this stroller is MUCH pricier than a regular one you'd see at Babies 'R Us, however, you'll see why. before i tell you WHY, i'll tell you how much WE paid.  the retailer we went through has to advertise it for much more expensive than the price we paid per BJ policy.  yet, we saved HUNDREDS going through her (a mom in PA owns the stroller company) because she bundled the prices at the end.  her site is: JoggingStrollers4Less.com.  i decided here's what we paid after all the "discounts":

stroller w/ one seat: $400 

extra seat: $128

carseat attachments: $48 x 2 = 96

parent console (to hold drinks, a MUST!): $26 = $650

WITH FREE SHIPPING AND NO TAX!

 at BBB or BJ, tack on another $300 or so including shipping (through BJ) and/or tax, and the price is MUCH higher in the store.- originally, i was going to go with onyx or ruby (definitely not the diamond one, lol... in AZ), but once i saw that there would be a amethyst one available mid-march 2011 (around when i would need it), i desperately wanted it.  however, what got me was... what if i had another child?  a boy?  surely, not a purple stroller... the BEST part about this stroller: it's originally a ONE-seater. :)  which means, IF i had another child (boy), then i could buy an additional seat (black or red) for $128, and voila!  (you could also do that if you have a B/G- two different colored seats.)  don't have to buy a new one-seater stroller.  unless you plan on having twins + one kid less than two years apart, this stroller could definitely serve its purpose to seat many children to come!  lol :)  this will be the ONLY stroller you'll ever need.- based on THAT is why i went with the amethyst color, which i was absolutely thrilled with, and still am!  it's a showstopper.  where else do you see beautifully-colored purple strollers? :)- with this stroller, people stop and gawk at us while we pass on through.  some think that there's a third baby in the underneath compartment, often asking me if i have triplets.  lol.  whenever i'm out with the girls, i usually get asked where i got the stroller, and it's my chance to tell them the same thing.- with ordering it online makes it difficult to test-drive it before you buy.  so, i went to BBB, and did just that.  i asked them how this stroller compares to other double strollers, and they said, "this is the best double stroller we sell."  i couldn't believe it.  i asked if there was any complaint about them, and they told me the 2010 seats used to be smaller, and the 2011 version fixed that (roomier).  so, definitely get the 2011 version for that reason (especially if you want amethyst!)!
here's what i LOVE about my stroller:
1. versatile seating arrangement (as the BG website/demo video shows).
2. steers/drives like a million bucks: SO easy to just push.  pushes like a charm (hence "drives like a charm"- lol).
3. great for any type of terrain: can set it up to only steer the wheels straight and not swerving.  PERFECT for those who are active/joggers...4. designed for one, but accommodates two: as i already said.  however, it doesn't FEEL like you're pushing "two."  it's that easy.
5. accommodates TWO carseats/roomy seats: already said.  however, not many strollers accommodate TWO carseats in a roomy fashion.  it isn't claustrophobic for the babies or you.  for example, look at this similar priced stroller. the baby on the bottom?  mine would freak out.  i understand it's a jogging stroller, however whoever designed that is an idiot.  at any time, your baby can (around 6 mo. as mine are) reach out and touch the wheel.  i tried these out, and was flabbergasted they were so expensive and so poorly designed.
- either way, the carseat adapter allows for you to adjust/position the babies' carseats easily.  we started (around 6 mo.) started using the actual amethyst-colored seats AND they are SO roomy!  tons of room to grow.  plus, you can just tell how well made the seats are.  the umbrella part of the seats (over the babies' heads) is quite roomy, too.  they are made of GREAT quality, and quite durable.  they have a lot of overhead, which is GREAT now for my girls in the sun.  plus, it has this peek-a-boo feature on the top of their heads where i can peek through and see if they're sleeping/what they're doing without waking them up.  sometimes with my carseats, if i fold back the umbrella a bit, it disturbs my girls. :(  so, that's a great feature.
- the actual seats fold/lay many different ways, which is nice for a sleeping baby, an awake baby, a fussy baby... can almost flatten out the seat to where it serves sort of as a bassinet.
6. diaper bag compartment: it's HUGE and you can minmize or maximize the space.  sometimes, i take my reusuable shopping bags, put them in there, and do my grocery/shopping... yes, with my girls.  unless you go to Costco, there isn't a place in town that has dual sitting in a cart for twins.  so, until somebody tells me i can't, i do.  i push my stroller around instead of my cart.
7. fold down: it's EASY.  seriously, yes, it takes me now < 5 min. to take them out, put them in the car, take off the carseat adapters (when i still use them) or seats, and break it down.  it folds so easily into this 8" width space or so.  SO easy and doesn't take up much room.  is it heavy?  no.  not a back killer; that's for sure.  at Babies 'R Us, i tried to break down MUCH heavier strollers and couldn't!!!8. quality: super great quality.  the wheels are air, which is the best to get, and quite reliable.  everything about stroller is great.  as a mom of twins, i wanted something durable.  i know some moms who have gone through 5 strollers, and still aren't satisfied.
9. brake: super easy to use. a hand-brake.  not rocket scientist at all.  you'd be surprised the way some people designed double-stroller breaks and the fold down methodology.  it's so stupid and my husband couldn't even break down some strollers.  lol.  you want something quick and easy.

- obviously, when people asked what we needed, we just said that we need to buy a stroller which would be pricey.  it shipped here fairly quickly... since i had pre-ordered it, it took longer, obviously.  yet, it shipped here within a couple of days.  
- this stroller needs a specific carseat for it.  again, i knew what stroller i would want, so i chose the carseats based upon that.  i went with Graco Snugride 35 Laguna Bay per this.  why not pink ones?  i found them ugly @ B 'R Us.  lol.  i didn't know about BBB at that point.  now, it's better to go with an infant carseat carrier and not a convertible seat because #1 reason: if they're sleeping, then you don't disturb them.  with a convertible seat, you can't do these strollers.  also, with a convertible seat, you have to get them OUT of the seat even when they're sleeping. :(  now, w/ mine, i think the "35" means 35lbs., which is nice.  my friend recently mentioned that she wished that she got the bigger carseat for her baby now that she's a year.  also, they just passed a law where the babies have to be in these carseats for 2 years or whenever they reach a certain weight.  whichever comes first. 


so, what do you think?  what's your favorite stroller and why?