by goosenapper » Thu Nov 14, 2013 9:51 am
I think that it's wonderful that you stopped and asked yourself this question. I have lamented the loss of many a trinket outside of the slot car hobby as items were either terribly modified, given tasteless paintjobs, or just outright destroyed. (thinking primarily of old Fender Strats that been drilled so that pointless knobs could be added, or amps that appear to have been retolexed by a kindergartener using nothing more than safety scissors and a glue-stick) The fact that you are asking yourself this shows that you have the heart of a preservationist.
Personally, I try to keep everything that I own in the same condition that it was when I acquired it in the hope that someday, someone in the future can appreciate this nice old thing that I once owned. Many books that I own are never opened at more than about an 80 degree angle, in an effort to preserve the spine's integrity. (this drivers my wife mad, by the way, and I can see how ridiculous I sometimes look trying to read the edges of pages) That being said, I don't carry this same preservationist philosophy to slot cars, having stripped a somewhat rare slot car myself. I recently broken down a yellow Ninco Testa Rosa for a repaint.
Perhaps I'd feel differently if a slot car car was from the 60's. I look at anything from 1970 on as being new, a distinguishing factor that I inherited from my dad's instrument collecting days. This past Sunday I was running a Revell GT-350, when it struck me that the date on the bottom was 2004. That's almost 10 years ago already! But still, it's new to me.
If you're still with me following that little detour through my thought process, I say that the value of the car is completely up to you. Don't put any stock in what those collector sites list the cars at. I've seen cars that are listed at $100+ on those sites sell for under $40 on ebay. But if you know that someone may appreciate it, then it may be worth trying to finagle a trade for a more beat-up or new car that you won't feel as bad about "repurposing."