[300SLR]

Hi Rich
That's kind of a big question. You might get more helpful answers if you can be more specific.

Are you interested in all the product these manufacturers make?

Are you just interested in the cars?
Are you after appearance, performance or low cost? You won't get the best of all 3 in one car.
You can run pretty much any make of car on a track (in analogue, its not that simple for digital) so you don't need to stick to one make, and there are many others makes as well as the ones you mention.

Are you interested in track?
If you are extending an existing plastic track then you need to stick with what's compatible with what you've got.
If you're starting without a track then you'll be interested in people's opinions on different sorts of plastic track and maybe could think about building a wood track.

Are you interested in digital?
That's a whole different set of comparisons. There are compatibility issues with different makes, so it needs careful thought about which manufacturer before you start buying.

 

[300SLR]

Yes there are big differance in speed and handling.
There are also big differance in what is allowed in standard class.

Sure there are guys who can tell you how to make cars way faster than the cars that club allows. That's not much help if you wouldn't be allowed to run them.

The best way to find out what works at that club is to see what you can learn from the winners there. Sounds like you've already figured that out.