The $400 Slot Car: Was It Worth It?

HINT: No!

While I don’t want to rehash old complaints too many times, you may recall my being on the warpath about the great porch robbery of August of ’22, an incident in which I lost the most expensive slot car I’ve ever bought. I paid a total of $233 (with tax and shipping) to get an excellent example of an early Vibrator, the desirable 1962 Ford County Squire wagon in white with a black roof and red interior. I paid for it, but I never got to own it. Well, about 3 weeks ago – and stumbling upon it by a “recommendation” listing, not because I looked for it (curse you, ePay!) – an identical car came up for sale again. This one was in even better condition than the one I bought before, and it was cheaper, by nearly $40. Those 2 conditions, combined with my bitterness over never getting the one I bought before, caused me to pull the trigger.

This one went into my package vault – the tool I bought to prevent any more thefts after that massive loss in August – upon delivery, so I received this one! If we combine the total price, tax, and transport I paid for this second one with what I paid for the first one, this one car has cost me just over $400. Regardless of how desirable this model may be to collectors, that’s a hell of premium: to say I “overpaid” for it is a bit of an understatement! Of course, I’m not a collector…right? Perhaps I doth protest too much! So now that I’ve received the car, let’s answer the burning question: was it worth it?

Well, it’s in damn near mint condition; certainly as close to “mint” as my eye and standards could detect! And not only is it mounted on its original “Vibrator” chassis, but it also runs…and it runs quite well! Or at least, as well as a Vibrator can run on a DC powered track, which it was never meant for! Because of its pristine originality, I’ve now found that I don’t have the heart to follow through with my plan to mount the body on a Thunderjet 500 chassis! As with the equally pristine Mercedes 300SL and ’59 T-Bird I profiled over a year ago, I think I’m going to have to leave this one alone. Even though I could likely mount it on the later chassis without any grinding or cutting with the aid of small shims at both ends, I feel like I would be spoiling it by doing that, and anyway, its so flawless that I don’t really want it bumping around the track.

Oh drat! I paid all that money and got something nicer than I was expecting, and now I’m disappointed with it! Well, ok…not really. Which is exactly what’s making me think that, just maybe, I kinda sorta am becoming a collector, at least a little. It still wasn’t worth it to buy it twice, but it is an awfully nice piece to add to my collection, and it isn’t the first “shelf queen” I’ve acquired, either. The worst thing? In order to have 2 Country Squire wagons-because my red one needs a companion-now I’m going to have to buy another one! Hopefully I can get one for a little less than this one cost me!

Oh, woe is me! 😉