For some parents, a stroller is a way to get their child safely from Point A to Point B. Others view it as a way to show off their dual-income, hip style.

But whether they pay $15 for an umbrella model at the discount store or $700 for a Bugaboo from a boutique, all parents want a stroller that's sturdy, easy to wheel, adjustable and collapsible.

Like the vehicle in their garage, the stroller that parents push says something about the owner, says Christina Vercelletto, senior editor at Babytalk magazine in New York. Everyone may want a fabulous stroller, but not everyone wants to pay a fabulous price.

"I liken it to buying a car. Yes, you have to look at features and the price," Vercelletto says. "In the end, people aren't going to buy a car they don't want to be seen in."

More than 80 percent of parents own more than one stroller, Vercelletto said, often because their first stroller purchase didn't work for them.

"When my husband and I were shopping for our first stroller, we were absolutely clueless," says Christine Williams of Scottsdale, Ariz. "We test-drove a few up and down the stroller aisle and pretty much said, 'This one looks cool, let's get it.' It was an Eddie Bauer piece of junk."

Williams consigned and sold that stroller, but not before learning what really mattered to her: maneuverability, infant car-seat adaptability, parent drink holders, collapsibility, sun visors, swivel-wheel front tire, shock absorption and portability.

The mother of two owns a 2006 BOB Revolution Duallie. At $450, the double stroller is not for everyone, but Williams uses it every day — inside, outside, running, walking and for her Stroller Strides workout classes.

"This truly is the Mercedes of strollers," Williams says. "But you don't need to spend $450 to get the stroller of your dreams. This is our fourth stroller, so it may take some time to find exactly what works."

STATUS STROLLERS

Even when parents are happy with the stroller they schlep around the zoo, new designs, improved features or the celebrity factor can lure them back to looking for a new set of wheels.

"When my twins were born two years ago, I was totally seduced by the celebrity strollers I saw on TV and in magazines," says Ali Zimmerman, also of Scottsdale. "I am slightly ashamed to admit that, if I had been having a singleton, I probably would have plunked down $700-plus for one of those Bugaboo Frog strollers."

Because moms saw Miranda pushing the Bugaboo stroller on "Sex and the City," they have admired the all-terrain versatility, longer seat, adjustable handle and custom color combinations.

This summer, the pages of People magazine were filled with celebrity parents pushing their offspring in the functional and stylish Stokke, which features a swivel handle and suspended, cradlelike seat with variable height and seating angle. Cost: $700 to $800. Would most average American moms pay that much for a stroller? Many families with a stay-at-home mom and multiple kids can't afford the price. But they still want a lightweight, stylish, durable stroller with an adjustable handle they can steer with one hand.

CHEAPER LOOK-ALIKES

After years of sky-high prices for ultra-cool designs, decent-looking, functional knockoffs can shave a couple of hundred dollars off the cost of a stroller. You'll see cool strollers online and in stores in 2007, Vercelletto says.

Parents can save money and find a stroller that works for them by talking to a stroller expert who's not working on commission, says "Stroller Queen" Janet McLaughlin of Santa Monica, Calif.

McLaughlin has owned 168 strollers. She reviews them on her Web site, www.strollerqueen.com.