What influence best gets you to spend $$$???

[Marty Cozad]

#1 What influences you to consider that product?
#2 What influences you to put down the money for it?
The reason i ask two questions is because I "want" alot of things in this hobby, but due to lack of money or space or time I choose an item over many others and make the purchase.
Is it the company "name" or the "photo" or the price in its self?
This is a broad question[:D]

PS. Do you remember a few years ago there was a TV add with a guy pushing his kid around in a shopping cart in a toy store saying no you can' t have that, etc. he comes around a corner and WOOOW a monster Tonka box with a new car in it. The dads eyes light up and he becomes that little kid. Well, thats how I shop.[;)][:I]

[BudSteinhoff]

This is a hard one to answer.
The 'wow' factor is how I decide what I want but I also know the company , how it is built and how this company stands behind its product.
I only deal with 2-3 different mfg's due to the above.
I like them all but chose the most impressive equipment from 1:20 scale to 1:32 scale.
Price is a factor for me also but the way I justify my purchases is that I can purchase 4 plastic for the price of 1 brass and the new plastic is more detailed.
Enough foor now, I will have to think somemore.
Bud[:)][|)]

[bman36]

Hi Marty,
I'm with Bud. There is a lot in this hobby that I start to drool over. I tend to look for reviews first. Like cars, (full size), I pretty much won't buy the first production run. Let em' get the bugs out first. I will eventually add a Bach. Heisler to my roster but probably not this year. I too don't like hassles when it comes to problems. If I spend 500 or 800 on a loco it better perform! Price is a big factor since it will be a new loco or track. No guessing with track, I know what to expect. If I choose a new loco I will research it first and talk to others who own one. Ask them a year or so later "Was it worth the money?". It also depends if I can get Canadian Pacific in that unit or will I have to custom paint? My narrow guage stuff I order unlettered but standard guage I prefer CP ready to go. Lot's to consider. [%-)] Later eh...Brian.

[vsmith]

I'm a lot more selective given my compressed indoor layout and the growing trend towards bigger trains in large scale.

I would love to have an Accucraft K36 but it would go no further that a dispay shelf in the house, thats a lot of gold for just a display item. So like all of us I have certain "limits".

I am limited mostly by the curvitures of my layout and also by cost. My layout uses R1 curves due to the tight space its built in, so I have to think "how will this look on my layout" before I even consider it. The same is more true for cars, 20' long cars are the longest I will use, any thing bigger doesnt look right. I try to stick to 2 axle type cars and 2 axle type engines.

Cost is also a huge limiting factor. LGB makes some very nice engines that look good on R1 curves but at around $500 forget it. I promised to be as economical as possible when i started building it. So I have to work within my limits.

I will also add "Opportunity" to the list of influences. I posted 2 threads last year about finding what I thought were very good opportunities to save some $ and get some good items for my RR. The first was that MDC's website was selling their "big hustler" switcher and their "rail speeder" for 50% off. the second was that Marshall's discount chain stores were selling LGB TOYTRAIN items at big discounts (at least 50-70% off from retail) so I jumped and took advantage while it lasted, now I'm almost maxed out on my roster. Didnt plan for that happening before my layout was complete. But I still want a 2-6-0 indy and a 0-4-0 Porter saddletank from Bachmann.

[warner brook]

hi marty
my imagination is what makes me spend money sometimes it may even get me in trouble but that can be fun or a learning experience,it always seems to work out in the end. roy

[jmozz]

cost of the product is my main concern I wi***hese prices come down, the 2nd thing is the time of year holiday and june are rough months to spend money jmozz

[Anonymous]

Hi Marty
What a loaded and broad question[:D]
Well in the begining it came down to do I like it can I afford it and is it a train
Thats how i wound up with a collection of no particular pattern trains about
98% I guess LGB.
Now its a case of I have chosen a theme and a definite scale so if it don't match those or cannot be bullied into matching that, .then its staying on the shop shelf which means most of it is staying on the shop shelf, as most of my stuff now has to fit what I am doing so now its learn real fast how to at least build my own freight wagons and coaches as most of the kits by the time I get them in postage cost kills the idea iether that or what the bank wants to rip off me for international transactions does the same thing.
regards John
.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Marty Cozad

#1 What influences you to consider that product?
#2 What influences you to put down the money for it?

Marty

#1 = reviews, research on it
#2 = if I don't have the money I don't buy it intill my money is saved to buy it. do it right 1st time (hopefully)
Sales are nice, buy 2 get 1 free, etc... I would like to see me keep my rr stock uneven i.e. like more stock cars in modern era, several just on siding, some in mills, etc..

[Anonymous]

Hello Marty,
I started off buying bits and bobs that I didn't really need but looked nice.Now the railway has been down for quite a while I feel that I want to have more of a theme to my railway.Using the locos that I have I'm going to make consists and scratchbuild the wagons to fit the various ideas I have in mind.Once that is done I can work on the scenic side of the layout.I must admit that when I look at items now I consider whether it will fit in the grand scheme of things,rather than"that's nice,gotta have it!"
Money for my hobby is a big issue with me.Everything has to be used.
Troy

[grandpopswalt]

Marty,

Interesting question. I'd say that value is the most imortant consideration. That basically means "is that item worth what's on the price tag"? Of course that's totally subjective. What I find "reasonable" may be grossly overpriced to the next guy.

Judging from the responses so far, it sounds as though most of us agree on one issue, price. If it costs too much, I don't buy it. That's why I'm a little disappointed that B'mann is moving "up-scale". Admittedly their locos are many orders of magnitude better than the Big Hauler days, but $350 - $500 (without sound) for a loco is just not going to work for me.

I love trains and GR as much as the guy who spends $50,000 on his layout, but I will not spend a lot of money on this or any other hobby. That's why I try to scratchbuild and kitbash as much as I can. The process of creating my own "stuff" is as rewarding to me as accumulating vast quantities of locos and rolling stock is to some other folks. So,I guess it all depends on what floats your boat and what you're personally willing to spend on it.

Walt

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,
A Brit saying for this is, 'How long's a piece of string?'. I deal with 2 suppliers, 1 a local store and the other by mail from Scotland, Scottish Garden Railways (SGR). The guy in Scotland undercuts the local store, Tower Models, by mega bucks, an Aristo RS3 is £50 cheaper and I have also priced the track I need to complete, 3 boxes of 3' straights, 1 box 8' curves & 3 switches, it's £116-50 cheaper than my local guy! but I will have to collect it. The local store sells USA trains and SGR doesn't, I got my Bachmann from SGR & my 2 USA trains from the local store. My first influence is availability and for how long, I saw the Train Engineer advertised by SGR-the first time I have seen it advertised over here-and bought it. The second influence is the cost, I will be taking Gail for a weekend in Scotland and just by chance we will drive down a certain street that houses SGR!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Anonymous]

I BUY A LOT OUT OF THE GARDEN RAIL ROADS MAZ.. THE DEALERS HAVE BETTER PRICES , THEN THE LOCAL DEALERS ,OR I BUY AT TRAIN SHOWS, I LIKE BRIGHT COLORED CARS,ARISTO CRAFT HERSHEY CARS ARE NICE. I ALSO USE BRIGHT FLOWERS IN MY GARDEN. BEN[:)]

[Anonymous]

#1 What influences you to consider that product?
#2 What influences you to put down the money for it?

Fairly loaded questions Marty but I guess if I had to pick any one thing it would be timeline. Does the model fit into the timeline I model. If not, it is not a consideration. Price can come into it , and I often stress over that as well. The detail of the model also then is considered if it meets the other 2 criteria. Then I try to find reviews or speak to someone who has what I am looking at and ask what they think of the model in question. Is it a good runner , issues with gearbox etc etc?
Grant