Super Elite question

Hi, all. I am looking for new seats for my twins that turned two in October. They are over 35 lbs. and over 3 feet tall so I'm definitely looking at the Husky. I called the only store in town that carries Britax and she didn't have any Huskies in stock, but knew someone who had one for sale. Turns out I know this person. She said she only used it once, for a very long road trip, but her son just wasn't happy in it. When she went to get it for me, it was actually the Super Elite. It was manufactured in May of 2002 so it shouldn't be effected by the recall. I did read a post about the harness adjustment mechanism sticking and allowing the harness to loosen unexpectedly. All other reviews I've read, however, are good. So, my question is, do I buy this Super Elite (for $140) and only buy one Husky? I do know the person who is selling it and I believe she is being honest about it. She doesn't seem to have any money problems, so I don't think she'd be dishonest about it just to get the money. The seat cover appears in very good condition, with just some pilling around the edges, probably the result of the machine washing she told me she did. Oh, and there's no manual, but I'm told I can get one from Britax.

Any thoughts?

Kathy

Well, I think you need to ask yourself the basic question, "would I trust this person with the life of my child?" And then go from there. Washing the cover was fine but ask her if she washed the harness and if so, did she apply heat to it in anyway (putting the straps in the dryer, using an iron, etc)? Also, I don't have the recall info in front of me at the moment but I thought Britax would send out HUGS pads to SE owners...that's something else I'd look into. Also, a seat manufactured in 2002 has two less years of use left in it than a new seat...and the Husky is a long-lasting seat....so think about if you'll want to put one child into a booster in 4-6 years. The thing I love about my Husky is that I know my dd will be in it beyond age 6.

Lastly, think about the price. I got a Husky online last summer for $165 shipped. If that is too small a price difference for you and your peace of mind over the whole deal, then this might not be the deal for you.

About the SE

I'm one who has had problems with the harness adjuster on the Super Elite. It does make me nervous every time I pull it tight and I always double-check that it isn't loose. I feel it's a design flaw. The Husky is different and I've read that they made a minor change to the shell as well. Personally, I'd just buy a new Husky.

As long as the seat came with the HUGS on the harness originally, it was not part of the recall. I have a SE mfrd in 5/2002 and it was new enough to escape the recall (the older model had a single harness strap that looped around in a complicated way, rather than the two shoulder straps hooked to a splitter plate).

I hope to use mine till 2008, but shudder with worry that the harness adjuster will go bad on me...so far so good, but the seat isn't used a whole lot...

I think $140 seems a little high, though...I think I'd hunt around for bargains on 2 Huskies...the few extra bucks for seats that can last longer and the peace of mind that the harness adjuster is less likely to mess up, should be worth it

Thanks, guys. My DH just doesn't seem to understand why I'm so wishy-washy about this. Of course, he just couldn't believe how big the darn thing was when I brought it in, either. Another $100 is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but we are on one income and if I could use the Super Elite and save the hundred bucks, that would be great. I am not finding a Husky for any less than $239 with free shipping, so I'm looking at almost $500 for two. Do any of you recall where you got a great deal on yours?

Still debating,
Kathy

P.S. It does have the HUGS and I'm sure she didn't get them later.

Ugh! Last time I looked, there were a fair number of places selling Huskies for 199!! Wow, prices have jumped a bit!
Well, can you bargain her down on the $140 price a bit, based on what we've told you about the age of the seat decreasing your use of it, and whatever concerns you have about the cover being a bit frayed?

Hmm I think I got mine from www.albeebaby.com and they are offline until this summer. You might call them and ask if they have any in stock and what they'd run you. Prices are high for Britax seats at the moment but I'd expect them to begin falling again around April. With your girls at 35 lbs, you have a little time yet to watch prices fall. Also, I have heard that www.babyage.com will honor older prices on some of their stuff, I can't remember if the sell the Husky or not but it's worth a try to call them.

you can still order from albee baby, but...

it's kind of strange...you go through a yahoo shopping site. I just ordered a stoller from them, though, and they have very quick shipping-I had no problems. I did some searching around for you, just to see if I could even come up with a coupon code or something, and NADA! Oy, I haven't looked at the Husky prices myself in a while, and they are high! In fact, the albeebaby site lists the msrp as 229.00 and they are selling it for 239.00! Not only that, but quite a few of the online sites listed the seat as being out of stock...wonder what Britax is doing....perhaps creating a bit of demand for short supply, hence the high prices?
When I got my seat last April, I got it from buybabybuy online for around 165.00...it only came in the wicket(brown) color, but we aren't picky. I would go with bazanna, and hold off. They have 5 more lbs. to go, and while I thought my then 2.5 year old(who was about your kids size) was going to hit 40 soon...he has slowed way down. In fact, he's just a bit over 3 years and about 37 lbs. His legs did stretch out, though! I think it would be worth holding out and waiting to see when the prices come down....they will soon.
Good luck, and if I happen to see any Husky deals I'll be sure to post it on the board somewhere!
Beth, mom to Elliot 12/05/00 and Ian Rilke due 5/24/04

Oh! That's right! I got mine at www.buybuybaby.com I got the Wicket (Marina is much prettier but I'm not picky either) and I see now they have only Marina and it's $239. I'm pretty sure retailers (online and otherwise) get their marching orders from Britax and I expect a sale in the next few months.

Well, the thing is, we actually just recently got a second car (a 97 Ford Taurus) for me to drive to school and back because it's less expensive and economical (school is about an hour drive away). Our other car is a Suburban that I drive on the weekends for grocery shopping, etc... So, instead of having to move the Roundabouts back and forth, I thought I'd go ahead and get the new seats and put them in the Suburban and continue to use the Roundabouts in the Taurus until they outgrow them. I do think I'm going to keep the Super Elite. I did some fidgeting with the harness mechanism and it doesn't snap right back out if you loosen the harness, but if you pull back against it (tighten the harness), it goes back down into place. As long as I'm aware of it, it shouldn't be a problem. DH and I looked at the buckle assembly and it shows almost no wear. I think that the son (who is 10 and pretty spoiled) probably just refused to sit in it and that's why it hasn't been used. I did ask her if it had been in a wreck and she said definitely not. So, since I can save $100 now by buying it, I think I will. I don't know where I'll get the other Husky, probably order it locally and wait the four weeks for it.

Oh, by the way...in case you didn't know this, Britax is in North Carolina and they've had some bad ice storms...the plant has been closed for over a week, I think (I've heard this from two people, a mfrs. rep for Britax and the owner of the store that put me in contact with the used Super Elite person). So, that's probably why so many sites are showing out of stock on that seat as well as several other Britax seats. Just a little FYI...

Thanks again! I have to say that I am a regular poster at another board with this format (though a parenting board rather than a safety board) and I am pleasantly surprised at how many great responses I've gotten here! You ladies are terrific!

Kathy