Has the economy affected your near future 1/4 scale plans!

[stoneyberk]

Well guys i thought i would stop in and see if this economy has affected anybody here... As for myself goes... It has.. Our sales have plummeted nearly 19.4% as compared to a year ago to date... A few of you may know that my friend a graphic designer and I are now business partners.. We do mainly custom air brushing and many types of graphic design work for customers all over the country...When Jeff came aboard we sit down and discussed this economy and came to the conclusion that we will no longer need to repair automobiles... We had a new 50,000sqft facility built and have two state of the art down draft booths...We have since came to the conclusion that we will once again get back into the automotive repair business... I have been in this type of business for the majority of my life but Jeff knows very little when it comes to the repairing of an automobile..

I have noticed a huge decline in post about members purchasing 1/4 scale cars here for a while now.. And it's not just here... There is little talk about anybody purchasing cars these days in all the known R/C forums.. Anyhow guys.. I just thought i would stop in and spill my gut's a tad, And see if this economy has affected your lives as well.

Stoney

[K]

Stoney: I’m glad you posted this. I’ve also noticed a decline in members purchasing new cars and whatnot on this forum and the other hobby forums I visit. I’m certain the limp economy has delayed the plans of many hobbyists.

My most recent ¼ scale car purchase was in January (somewhat expensive but I just had to have it), since then I’ve only bought bits and pieces (wheels, tires, the odd body shell, etc.). The downturn has turned my life upside-down and caused me to endure yet another international relocation, together with all of its associated turmoil. The good thing is that all of my hobby stuff is now in the same place for the first time in many years, and I’m enjoying setting up a little workshop in my garage.

I’m still in the ¼ scale market but mainly for bits and pieces to finish off or improve my current collection. Storage space is now a real issue for me because I like to display my cars (and bikes) in the house, there’s a limit to how much any wife will put up with …… you know how it goes. If I see a car that I just have to have, I’m at the point where something will have to go to make room for it. I just hate to let stuff go!

Kevin

[Mike Casey]

definately has slowed down things. I have noticed as well that nothing has really been seilling like it used to . I dont know If it has slowed me down personally. I would say that I have slowed down due to other reasons. But I can certainly understand it slowing down others. Its a scary time right now.

[acc]

Personally, Its not really effected me at all. I've lost alot of interest from my bank account lol that's about it..

Besides that, Ive never bought a "true" 1/4 style car as I find there just to much money to start with, I cant really justify spending over $1,500 US on a toy so small. I have just sold a dirt bike that I didn't ride enough, I could have all the fun in the world on it and I just sold it for just over $3k. So to think Id only get 1 MAYBE 2 1/4 car for that seems a bit silly to me.

The car I have bought is a 1/5 traveller brand new, and a 2.4ghz airtronics control for less then $1000 US

Every time I think about spending $1,500 on an rc car I take a look at my modified Suzuki Sierra 4x4 and just think of all the things I could buy for it for the same money.

So no, its not "slowed" me down, I just don't see the benefits from spending so much on these cars compared to putting the same amount of money on a different cheaper (and just as fun) hobby that I have... Which is to many dam hobbies.. lol

If these cars were not so over priced, then id probably have a few of them.

That is all.

[M.R. Ogle]

NEW car sales?

I don't know how to judge the economic impact on quarter-scale, as you'd have to ask the current manufacturers of NEW quarter-scale cars.... not that they'd honestly tell you, LOL!!!

There seems to be no shortage of people scouring EBay for 80's vintage used cars and parts, though. Not sure that qualifies as "new" car sales, though.

In my 1:10 scale drag car business, I'm seeing that people are perhaps not buying a new chassis every year, but they are buying parts like crazy to refurbish their current cars and keep them running. There's actually better margins in parts sales.
Also, although US sales may have slowed, Australia is buying like crazy. So, in my business, there has been remarkably little bottom-line loss or gain.

If inspiration strikes me, I'll put together another Q-scale car. Maybe an electric one this time. Q-Scale is just my "fun" class of race car, driven more by creative desire than economic forces. Compared to other competitive forms of RC, it's not all that expensive ... unless you're trying to build a collection from over-valued vintage stuff off EBay.

[stoneyberk]

I'm glad to here this economy hasn't impacted many of your lives... I know things will get better eventually,, Once we get back in the swing of repairing cars again we will be over whelmed with jobs.. Not to mention it's nearing the winter months back here... I spent an average of 90 hrs weekly repairing cars during the winter months.. It's just the graphic part that's hurting us at the moment... Our new machine cost more than i am willing to go into here... Mike O.. i'm glad to here that your 1/10 scale business hasn't had a loss... Perhaps i should have said... Old, New 1/4 scale cars... I didn't mean NEW...

It's funny... Every night on the news i hear of a company laying off or going under around here.. Just last night they said Bosch In Mishawaka & So, Bend is laying off nearly 50% of there work force by Christmas and the remaining 50% will take a pay cut.. It just makes me sick thinking about these poor familys... Just how devastating it must be to loose all you have worked for in a blink of an eye.. there is zero, zip, notta work around here. We have on the average of 50 people coming in daily filling out an application for employment.. I have a sign in the lobby stating were not hiring.. But they still fill out the app and place it in the box... We had a guy come in last week that was willing to work for $5.00 an hour and i had to tell him sorry.. The poor oll boy was in tears and was nearly begging me to hire him. many of these guys are not young rookies either... many are middle aged highly skilled candidates with a family at home and a mortgage and car payment they need to pay... Sometimes i wish i had never started up my own business years ago... It just eats at my gut when i have to tell all these people where not hiring...

Anyhow guys... I'm glad to hear the economy hasn't impacted many lives here..

[Mike Casey]

The media tells us here that there are tons of lay offs and that the unemployment rate is 12%. But my findings are that they are unskilled labor. We would hire good skilled people right now but we cant find any. That is our number one problem. Finding good working people with good work ethic. Since day one this has been our biggest challenge.

[acc]

I think you guys on the other side of the world are having a much harder time then us, Here in Australia we have not really had to much damage, Its effected us, but not nearly as much as everyone else around the world. So we had a little down turn on jobs etc and the stock market but things bounced back quickly and it wasn't nearly as bad as expected or experienced every where else..

This would of been a wake up call for alot of people around the world who took things for granted (big incomes, easily borrowing more money etc)

In a way its been great for anyone who still has money, stock market bounced back with huge profits, housing market dropped and has been climbing back well. And people are auctioning things they can no longer afford like nice cars, boats etc

[c103110]

I moved willingly from a deep BLUE State to a Deep RED State in March '09 and it was the best move I ever made. I brought three 1/4 scale cars down South and I've purchased two more since moving here. With the unbelievable reduction in tax burden (no State income tax, very low county tax, fewer State workers, low gas cost, low food cost, etc...) I have a much bigger house, lower utility costs, mild weather and much more disposable income than I've ever had in my life. If I was to do it all over again, I would have moved out of the North East twenty-five years ago...Less Government seems to work for us down here. I understand that self sufficiency is not for everyone.

[acc]

Why are your states coloured red and blue? lol

[Mike Casey]

AMEN! its our dream to move to a red state so we can enjoy our hard earned money too without sharing it with people "less fortunate" IE "people that dont want to work".