I was thinking of buying an Artin 4-lane figure 8 set (1/32 scale) for $219 shipped but since im on a tight budget I was looking at used tracks on ebay and seeing that they are selling quite cheaply, many sets are vintage...so my questions are:

Is this a good or bad idea? why?

are there any/many vintage tracks that can use track by any current manufacturers?

will the current cars run on most vintage tracks? fly, carerra, etc.

anything else I should be concerned with by buying a used track? I have a 14amp power supply and would be buying Parma controllers anyway so I really only care about the track pieces themselves.

Please give me any and all opinions.

thanks,

Jerrit

Hi Jerrit
Used Artin sets can be found for much less than a new one on fleabay, and other online hobby stores, both with and without cars. HomeRacingWorld.com has links to several Artin dealers that are alot less than what you have been quoted. Artin as a wide assortment of track pieces.

You can go "vintage" track (strombecker, eldon) but finding the pieces for your layout can take some time. Most 1/32 cars will run on most all tracks with a little massaging of the pickup braid.

Both ideas you have a good ones, now you have to do the footwork, price things out and find what will work best for you.

Parma controllers are a great choice for your layout. Wiring diagrams for driver panel hookups are on Greg Brawns website hoslotcarracing.com. Yea, I know its a HO website, but the wiring is the same no matter what scale.

In my "tenure" in the slot car hobby, (1965 -current) I have had all scales of home layouts from HO up to 1/24. I have owned Artin and its a great track for the cost. The ONLY reason I sold my Artin layout is that I didnt have room for both HO & 1/32, and the TM liked the HO cars better.

Being on a "tight budget" can sometimes slow down your enthusaiam, but dont let it stop you. It has been done before (dont EVEN ask how I know :p ) and it will be done again! It'll take some time searching out what ya want, how big ya want it, so on and so on.

If ya have any other questions, PM or Email me off list and I'll do what I can to help you make a decision.


Best Regards from Daytona Beach
Larry

I was also looking at the Carrera GT race track since it can run 1:24th cars too...but it's only 2 lanes...decisions, decisions.
Comes with a Ferrari 575 GTC and Corvette C6...I like those cars.
I have 10ft x 6ft in my heated basement to work with or I could do an 8ft x 21ft track in the unheated garage....again....decisions, decisions.

Heat is nice to have! :) rr