Does modeling affect your purchase of a car?

[SSNJim]

A comment made in another thread reminded me of a cartoon I saw years ago in some modeling magazine. A husband (looking somewhat miffed) and wife are in a dealership talking to the salesman. The wife says "Oh, he just won't buy a car that hasn't been released in 1/25 scale."

I got to thinking about it, and almost all my 1:1 four-wheeled vehicles (07 Mustang, 07 Focus Wagon, 97 Crown Victoria, 96 Ranger SuperCab, 92 Thunderbird SC, 94 Ranger, 77 F150, 91 Grand Prix 4-door, 85 Tempo, 83 Chevy Van, 82 El Camino, 79 Mustang, 73 Capri) have been produced in plastic. Maybe not exactly (the Grand Prix model was only a 2 door of a higher trim version, and the plastic Rangers were regular cabs for example), but pretty close. I do have to admit, it does cross my mind when I buy a car - is there a model of this? I'm not sure I have bought a car because it was modeled, but the fact has swayed me when choosing between two choices.

Do available plastic models influence your car buying decisions? Or maybe modifications to your 1:1?

[Harry P.]

Do available plastic models influence your car buying decisions?

No. Why would it?

That's like saying I bought my house based on whether or not a dollhouse version was available. Or I married my wife because there was a Barbie that looked like her.

[foxbat426]

Just curious did someone do the crown vic in a non police version or do you have to buy the police version and do it stock - would love to have one. Is there a specific police version i should look for??

thx, john

[Brizio]

I have few Jeeps and Jeeps are built not bought... So it easy to me do the opposite...

[Scuderia]

Just curious did someone do the crown vic in a non police version or do you have to buy the police version and do it stock - would love to have one. Is there a specific police version i should look for??

thx, john

Depends on which one you're interested in. I am in process of using the Lindberg blank copper for my 1997 street Vic. I got it on eBay for $9 after shipping. Its curbside tho.

[cobraman]

No, not at all although it is fun to build a replica of a car you have or had.

[rmvw guy]

I guess I'm kind of backwards on this, I always buy the car first and then start looking for it in 1/25th scale later, usually after getting rid of the car. I'm building a collection of cars I once owned. Do you think they will ever make a kit of a '40 Plymouth Sedan?

Edited July 6, 2012 by rmvw guy

[scalenut]

I married my first wife In large part because I thought she looked like barbie.

unfortunately she had the same disposition and lack of heart.

I might buy a model because I had the car ,,, but not the other way around

Edited July 6, 2012 by scalenut

[Nick Winter]

No, The only things that affect my buying of a 1:1 are Condition, Ease of Maintenance, Cost to own, Fuel Mileage, and Insurance cost, I just got lucky and bought something I can model fairly easy.

Nick

[Dr. Cranky]

I would not know, I have not bought a new car since (drum roll please . . . ) since 1980 when I bought a Ford Mustang and watched it over the next four years literally fall apart, one screw at a time.

I have a 55 Chevrolet and a Yamaha V-Star Classic 1100, and that's good enough for me.

Edited July 6, 2012 by Dr. Cranky

[Modelmartin]

Model building sure does affect my purchase of a car. After spending so much on models I have to buy a cheap car!

Edited July 6, 2012 by Modelmartin

[Foxer]

I've never thought about the 1/25 version when buying a car, but almost all the cars I want to build I've owned in 1:1. Maybe that's because I HAVE to want the 1:1 car before I buy. I think only the 145 Volvo and 08 Infiniti G37 Coupe haven't been kitted close enough to build ... the rest are in some stage down in the workshop.

[Rob Hall]

No...though I've tried to build models of the cars I've owned, though most of the cars I've had were only available in diecast or not at all.

[mikemodeler]

I married my first wife In large part because I thought she looked like barbie.

unfortunately she had the same disposition and lack of heart.

That is funny and true at the same time! I dated a girl who looked like Barbie but could not see marrying her- too much work!

[martinfan5]

Out of all the vehicles I have owned, only one has a kit made , and its not even the same make, talking about the Chevy Cavailer, there is a kit of it, but its of the Toyota Cavailer, the only difference is steering wheel on the right side, amber rear directionals. But its a hard kit to find.

But to answer the question, no, I will be a car that I want or like, not based off of if there is a kit of it

Edited July 6, 2012 by martinfan5

[Chuck Most]

I've never purchased a vehicle because there was a kit of it, but I've been fairly fortunate that most of the vehicles I've owned are available in one scale form or another. In fact, I think the only vehicles I've ever owned which weren't available in scale were the '98 Mercury Tracer and the series of '81-84 Olds Delta 88/Custom Crusier wagons I had during high school.

[57peppershaker]

I bought / built / collected 57 Chevy 2 door coupes, but went and bought a 1;1 2 door sedan !

Always prefered the sedan look but only coupes (apart from MPC flip front sedan) were tooled, so had to make do.

Thanks Revell for coming to my rescue, but what am I gonna do with 100 issues of coupes lol

Always try to build models of my 1;1's, 57, 95 Camaro, Fox Mustangs & 85 Caprice (nobody bothers with Ford Mondeo's & other UK dailys) but it wouldnt sway my choice of 1;1 purchase.

[Agent G]

I married my first wife In large part because I thought she looked like barbie.

unfortunately she had the same disposition and lack of heart.

I might buy a model because I had the car ,,, but not the other way around

Ditto on both!

Mine was wife #3 though..........................................

G

[SSNJim]

Just curious did someone do the crown vic in a non police version or do you have to buy the police version and do it stock - would love to have one. Is there a specific police version i should look for??

thx, john

Mine was a police version, so I didn't have any such worries. The only visible difference between the police and non-police Crown Victorias of that vintage is the door moldings. Even the "police hubcaps" were standard on the lower end non-police Crown Vics.

[SSNJim]

Do you think they will ever make a kit of a '40 Plymouth Sedan?

Didn't they do a 41? Keep your hopes up! It might still happen!

[SSNJim]

I've never thought about the 1/25 version when buying a car, but almost all the cars I want to build I've owned in 1:1. Maybe that's because I HAVE to want the 1:1 car before I buy. I think only the 145 Volvo and 08 Infiniti G37 Coupe haven't been kitted close enough to build ... the rest are in some stage down in the workshop.

Actually, it was one of your threads that brought this to mind - I think it was the Infinity thread. I think we, as well as several others, have had similar experiences in that most of the cars we've owned have been available as models, and that cartoon jumped out of the dim, dark recesses of my memory. I was wondering if that cartoon had any basis in fact. It seems not.

[SSNJim]

I have a 55 Chevrolet and a Yamaha V-Star Classic 1100, and that's good enough for me.

I didn't mention my 2007 Honda Goldwing GL1800, but I've got several 1/12 New Bright diecast-ish models of the GL1800, too. No kits, though. I had a Tamiya model of my 1981 Honda CB750F, but nothing of my 80 Honda CM400E, 86 Goldwing GL1200, 83 BMW R80ST or 88 Kawakaski Concours ZG1000. The kits are available to do a R80ST the same way BMW did - combine the R65 and the R80GS, but that was a little more work I was interested in/capable of at the time.