Hey Tom,
From my view point it's about the guys or gals that you enjoy flying with on a pretty Saturday morning. I also have a large club the same distance from me as the small group that I always fly with. The small group is a much more enjoyable group to spend a morning with than the large club. There are no other builders in my small group, no real "scale" enthusiasts, and no one likes to go to scale competitions but they are a fun bunch to be with even if they do fly ARF's!
The bottom line, if you enjoy the company of your current club members then stay with them, remember, $250 won't even buy you a new model or engine!
Larry B

P.S. I like your tiger cat in the photo of your Bel Air 60