gonsped69

My Feedback: (6)

A lot of angry potential Baja buyers

We all know Tower does put its price up and down and this is the first a proper, respectable RC manufacturer that has ventured from "standard" RC to bring out its first large scale model designed from the ground up.

I'm surprised you folks can wait 3 months for a pre-order

Lets wait a little and see what happens in Feb '06

Kemo

tower doesnt have anything to offer to racers anymore. The big manufacturers aren't distributed by GPMD. Those companies are smart to have said NO to GPMD.

RC_Feen

My Feedback: (1)

Towers Prices.....Well I'm a Tower Super Saver Club member and I'm not too happy with tower either. I'm wanting to get the new Baja 5B and have been waiting on putting in an order with the way the prices are up & down from day to day. Well the other day I get a Tower Super Saver Club flyer in the mail. Inside they show the HPI Baja 5B for $884.99. I thought well, this seems to be a good price and then with the discounts (SAVE UP TO $100.00! 12 Ways to Save!) and the $80 off that means I could get it for $804.99. WRONG!!!!! I checked towers web site and the 5B was now 1024.99. I emailed tower and asked them about honoring their ad for the price and I got a B.S. reply about since HPI had to make some engineering changes with the Baja 5B that they would not be able to discount the price that heavilly. Now isn't that false advertizement? I'm really disappointed with Tower but until the 5B is available we will never know what the price will be. Their disappointing a lot of people and customers until that happens.

mim1212

Hey guys

I ordered my Baja through hobbypeople.net, and they were selling the baja for $899.00. They also had a price increase to $999.00, but I called them today and they told me they will honor the price I purchased it at. I too have had problems with towerhobbies, but I dont think it is completely towers fault. I think HPI should take most of the blame for the price increase.

subarubrat

My Feedback: (1)

It isn't the price increase. That is really not the point at all. The point is that when a seller takes advace orders he is gaining a powerful market position. He can go to the manufacturer and say: Look, we have 11,000 orders locked in with a credit card number and since we are guranteeing that many sold units we want to get first priority on shipment and a discount for moving so many units. The additional benefit to Tower is that they are setting themselves apart as a major player by offering the item earlier than other retailers. Being able to actualy have a click here and order rather than the same placeholder ad with no order button. Being able to tell people they are a major player and have locked your order in when others can't. That marketing power and prestige are all benefits of offering a product up for pre-order before others. The consumer who signs up with tower is risking that tower will have the resources to deliver the product and do so as advertised. Your pre-order gives tower the clout and position and tower uses that to secure your product, it is an arrangement of mutual risk and benefit. The risk Tower takes is that the price might rise, and here it hasn't risen by much, because they jumped in too soon trying to beat others out. That is a risk of doing business. The consumer's risk in placing an advance order is that they might be going with a company that does not have the clout or resources to deliver the product. There are pleanty of people that placed pre-orders with the Xbox only to find out that Wal-mart got more shipment than their specialty store.

The problem in all this is that Tower has chosen to make the risk a one sided issue. Tower offered the pre-order before others and I placed my order. They used that to their advantage and when the price changed rather than standing by the bargain of mutual risk they called me asking for more money.

mim1212

Hey Subarubrat

I hear ya, and agree with you. I understand tower should have respected your preorder price. To me the way you hurt a company is not buy from them any more. Are you still going to get one (Baja)? If so you can try Mike at rcnutshobbies.com he still has them listed at $920 I have bought all of my FGs from him and he is a cool guy to work with.

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

horizon hobby is honoring thier price of 949.00 and they said it will not go up and that a promise, I had 2 baja b5's on order and my buddy had 1 also on order we they gave the song and dance and told us the price was going up too 1399. we said forget it,now we bought firehammers instead and took the extra cash I had left over and bought tuning parts,but I still have my order @ horizon hobby just incase Istil lwant that b5 when it does come in, you never know my annivesary is right around the corner my wife said[8D]

Kemo

Eh, I am kind of sick of all the price hikes... I have something sitting with a dead engine in my yard as it is, and its snowing right now. Looks like I'll be having fun around xmas time getting it runnin, I haven't ridden my snowmobile for 2 years.

My options? Pre-order 5b and wait 3 months just to have fun... or spend 200 to get my skidoo engine rebuilt and hit the trails. Play now, work later With 3 weeks off for winter break, it should be runnin by xmas. Just gonna have to wait for the 5b and get it in march.

Anyone else makin sacrifices?

Tigger N. Bennie

I'm debating: New engine for the Vette or new toy buggy?

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

what yr vette?

Tigger N. Bennie

It's an '84. The interior and paint have already been redone. The head rests even have a photo of one of my cat's embroidered on it. Before anyone laughs, it doesn't look too bad or at least I don't think so. I am leaning toward a new engine for the Vette--after all, I can't haul much with the HPI buggy and I don't know how many people will even run one around here since this is mostly an 1/8th scale off-road place. I've only seen one FG Marder ran around here and it was a demo. I do know that one FG MT was sold and I do own an FG sedan, but I've never seen the MT run and haven't seen anyone else run a sedan--two people I know sold their FG sedans.

speedbuggy67

If you're still running that cross-fire motor, that thing needs to go! I vote for the new vette engine

Tigger N. Bennie

It still has the Crossfire. I would have simply changed out the manifold if it wasn't for the smog laws. [:'(]

badz

My Feedback: (1)

I'd say new engine for the vette

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

I second that that crossifre is [:'(] I'am too a vette owner, I have an 85, w/ medium blue metallic with blue leather interior(orignally had cloth seats), blah blah blah,but the engine has SLP intake,modified MAF sensor, relocated MAT sensor, chipped,fuel pressure regulator, SLP catalitic convertor, monza exhaust, dynoed last fall and I only have 215 hp at the rear wheels, but I have 400ftlbs of trq.I know our car is only 1 of 1,365 produced with our codes etc.

quarterscalelegends

I say, sell the vette, not new enough to be cool and not old enough to be cool.

Tigger N. Bennie

I have thought about selling the vette since I have a pretty new SUV--But the embroidered cat is priceless! I've changed a few other things too and actually the '84 with the suspension option had one of the best suspension ratings as they were softened over the years--too rough for the ladies I guess. Anyway, it's still fun to drive though the cat's don't care for it and the neighbors all hear it pull into the driveway for a couple of blocks. Now if it were that "one" '83 with a Crossfire--it would be worth a lot of coin. And for those who didn't know it, most all of the '83s were destroyed except for one which is at the Corvette Museum or at least it was the last I knew. I probably should just sell the vette and forget about the buggy as well.

hndaman1

My Feedback: (6)

too bad there is only 1 out there and it is for show and tell only at the corvette museum.

TurtleRacing

I understand selling the vette, but forget about the buggy,that's just madness man!!!
just kiddin! My sister had a 70 & 85 vette, I absolutely loved that 70 vette. Didn't like the 85 though.

J_D

Tigger, what do you do for a living?? how do afford all those RC's and 1:1 cars and stuff?

Unless ur like a million dollars in debt lol

Tigger N. Bennie

Well I am still paying on the SUV. I believe one key to RC is to spend a little more to purchase quality and hopefully, not break so many parts down the road so that you can get other cars. I've also made some decent RC deals too--great savings at some of the RC shows like RCX, iHobbyExpo, and Hobby Visions. A few used purchases too.

Kemo

drop a nice crate engine in the vette. The 383 stroker would make a powerful choice. I'd be a vette to brag aboug for sure.

Tigger N. Bennie

I checked into the crate engines--funny enough the dealer will sell them but not install them. I'd have to check more into the smog laws and also see if I would have to change the transmission, the computer, the chip, etc.

Mad Wax

errr going off topic here!

Tigger N. Bennie

Yes, but it is better than reading a lot of bickering posts. Besides, it's a continuation of sacrifices either for or against the Baja5 and of ways to haul the Baja5 around. Quite frankly, everything past the first post is "off topic" if you go by the subject line since it simply announced a release date in February. Not much more to write after that unless someone wants to argue about whether that release month is correct or not. In the past, I have allowed many threads to wonder off topic and return to the subject of the thread. Consequently, if you or anyone has anything else to add to the February release date, feel free to post it. If anyone has a problem with my post, they can always PM me as well. I can easily start "scrooging" posts. For that matter there is the off-topic forum, so if anyone wants to continue the discussion there they can start a thread there and I'll join in. Right now, I have better things to do since the lipo just finished charging.