Which do you prefer?

[ElSecundo]

The burning question of the day, which do you prefer -- cars that come out of the box completely track-ready, or cars that need a little care and tweaking until they run the way you like?

Some people seem to like working on their cars first, it kind of connects them to the cars. Other folks think that new cars shouldn't have these flaws, and should run well out of the box. Where do you fit into this?

[Jesla]

I'll take the ones that need some work, always more rewarding.

[Derby City Speedway]

If the cars is in my radar, really makes no difference how well it goes. As long as it comes with all the parts it`s supposed to, flaws mean nothing.. I can correct most .

[HomeRacingWorld]

Same here. I really enjoy the tuning and working with a model to get it to my tastes. As long as the paint/body looks good, most things under it I'm ready to work with.

[goosenapper]

Well, it certainly is rewarding to take a model that plays hop-scotch along the track and turn it in to a speed-skater, (and as you said it creates a bit of a connection with the car) but at the same time it's also nice to take a car whose looks have you smiling already straight from the case and begin turning laps right away.

I'll name names here- My LMM Ford GT that ran like a dud out of the box is now a terrific runner, and all of the time and experimentation that went in to that car makes me enjoy it even more because it's rewarding to see something that you put time and effort in to pay off.

At the same time, there is a Scalextric Lotus Evora that I've done nothing more to than removal of the magnet, and it's been a solid driver ever since first leaving the protective womb of its plastic case.

So both sides of the coin make me happy in this hobby. What drives me nuts more than a car running well or not out of the box are miss-molded components or obvious body damage that can be explained by no other way than careless or lazy employees. (although that leads in to a "lack of pride in one's work" discussion that is more societal in nature than related to slot cars...)

[RichD]

I do not have a 1/32nd track, the only time that I can run my cars is on race night. Shoreline Model Raceways does not run boxstosk cars, so except for a few shelf queens all of my cars have been modified with aftermarket bearings, axles, gears, wheels, tires and guide flags. Most if the time the stock interior has been replaced with a light weight one.

[Czar]

I think there is also some shading to this question. I enjoy working on my cars but I also enjoy putting something new on track, and then running some laps. But, just because it runs out of the box doesn't mean that it runs the way I want it to. In fact, I would say that virtually all cars need work to make them run the way I want them to. YMMV. At the very least I need to glue tires on the wheels and usually glue motors in place. This goes for the benchmark brands like Slot.it and NSR, too. So, I guess it's not that I actually prefer a car that needs work, it is more a matter that I expect to do some work on all my cars. But, as said earlier, cars and parts that just don't work, or designed poorly, is a turn off.

[ListerStormGT]

I like working on my cars but I also want the car to run on my track out of the box. I will make it run how I want, but when I have a car new out of the box that runs a few feet and dies I am not usually happy. Its not that I mind working on the car, I expect to so it will run the way I like but by the same token it should be usable out of the box even if its not perfect.

[whitworthnut]

Preferences aside, there is an expectation that the car can be run and keep running out of the box. If it doesn't, we as the consumer are being ripped off or worse, being complicit in shoddy design, manufacturing and general quality control practices. I obviously enjoy tinkering to make things better, but I don't enjoy manufacturers or vendors that feel taking advantage of the consumer is their right. Don't get me started on cell phones.

[SuperSlab]

Kurt

Interesting and thought provoking topic.

As for my opinion: I just do not think that:

a) It is possible for any slot car manufacturer to economically design and build cars that could be close to perfect (well, at least make that "as good as I want") for all tracks that their cars might run on.
b) It is financially viable for them to have people with the required skill spend the required amount of time it takes to perfectly (or at least relatively close to) set up all their cars and lastly:
c) I am arrogant enough to think that I can pretty much always do some tweaking that will eke out another fraction of a second, even on cars that I have spent a lot of time on before!

Ergo: I consider it a given that I will have to do some tweaking on each and every car, even Slot.its and NSRs.

BIG caveat: that does not mean I want to embark on wholesale chopping and changing: some tweaks can be relatively minor and falls into the generally broadly understood category of "blueprinting". But there is at least one component that I always change and that is to put urethane tyres on my cars. For the rest it might be as little as adjusting a clearance here, putting in a spacer there, sanding a bit elsewhere, loosening screws etc etc and ALWAYS includes proper lubrication.

I have not done the actual timing, but it would not surprise me at all if I spend at least 3 hours prepping cars for every hour I spend running them! To me this is an integral part of the hobby and something I get much pleasure from. Also helps me to unwind and forget about the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and the "heart-ache and thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to" (if I could paraphrase my good friend William).

Edit: PS: Typically I prepare a new car before I take it to the track so I pretty much never run it "out of the box". However: with the amount of scrutiny I give it I would certainly know whether it would at least run out of the box. I must say that I cannot really recall having any experiences of cars that did not seem capable of at least trundling around the track out of the box.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Whereas I am on Mark's side of this- simply stated, there is another feature that overrides any other.

The fact is, when you spend money for something and it isn't what it claims to be, you have been cheated. If a car is cheap because it is flawed, I have no complaint, but parts missing, critical assembly errors, painting errors, etc, are not the same thing. Incredibly, some of the worst cars out there are among the most expensive (i.e. Pinkcar has passable bodies that can be nicely fixed up, but crappy chassis and dollar for value, they are the most expensive cars out there, lots of RTR resin cars have beautiful bodies but run like they have square wheels, etc, and they cost a ridiculous amount of money, Ninco's famous wobble gears and bent axles wouldn't be such a big deal if they weren't insanely overpriced, especially since for most of their existence, they were not crazy priced).

I love tweaking and tuning cars, and I don't mind making the rear tire changes we do now that there are such wonderful tires to buy in the market. I will replace gears willingly, especially pinions, and all the rest of the easy and cheap improvements, but misaligned wheels, broken wheels, bent axles, stripped screws, and other serious problems require a reduction in price for the whole brand if not corrected over time. For example, have you ever bought a new Pinkcar that ran properly out of the box? Even once? And they cost more than Scalextric, SCX, Fly, and other consistent cars. Now that SCX and Fly are in trouble, comparisons to them have little grounding, but the troubled times are a fraction of the time they have been around.

It all comes down to this for me... I love fixing them up, but when they cost a lot more than they should to begin with, I feel cheated when I have to fix them up a lot just to get them to run. A $50 car better not cost me $40 to make it run. By the same token, a $100 car will be returned by me if it takes $5 to make it run.

[ElSecundo]

[scatman]

Anything under $55, I expect some work. Over $60, should be track ready.

[MoparGreg]

Im not to worried about how the car runs out of the box. If I want it bad enough Ill still buy it. If it runs well out of the box, well thats just a bonus.

[Dangermouse]

I prefer cars that run well out of the box over cars that hop and stutter and slide and generally make me go oh no!

I love tuning cars and find it satisfying when I make a car run better, but I think now I really prefer the tuning to be fine tuning - not major surgery maybe this is because my collection is growing, whereas early on with only a few cars to play with I could spend hours getting one running just right. Maybe it is because I have built some metal chassis Plafit cars and they are so smooth. I own a few NSR cars and they are a joy to drive out of the box.

I buy cars mainly because I like them - if the car appeals to me I will usually get it, lately though I am more discerning in my selection. For instance I have put off buying an SRC Capri for this reason - I don't want to spend $75 and be disappointed with how a car runs out of the box. I will spend my money elsewhere on a car that is a smoother runner and only needs some fine tuning.

I don't mind if I pick up a 2nd hand bargain and it needs some work, however the other day I grabbed a Fly 512s and Porsche GT1 and I can tell you I was really happy that they ran beautifully with out me needing to do any work to them (and they weren't tuned by previous owner)

David