Customer Reviews

Matchbox Tri-Level Garage Playset

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got this toy for my 3 years old son. Even tough he likes it, the plastic materials of this set are awful. The set require assembling, but the part doesn't stay together. Comparing this set with other plastic toys like GeoTrax, etc, I would say this set is made of paper. The plastic is very thin, and you can easily bend it. It's very disappointing for a toy of this price range.

My 2yo son loves this, and has been playing with it nonstop since we put it together. No, it isn't a wooden Plan Toys parking garage that you will pass on to your grandkids someday, but for twenty-five bucks I didn't expect that. Unless it gets climbed on, I don't see it getting prematurely destroyed. I've put it on a low table to make sure that doesn't happen. A couple of parts not essential to the fun aren't securely attached, but they are easy to reattach and will get krazy glued on when DS is napping, and then I don't foresee any further problems. More Pros: 3-minute tool- and decal-free assembly; no batteries; the ramps go all the way down from the top (after the car is launched by the elevator platform-- cool!), which is what little boys really want to see; no scary noises, car-eating wolf, or other "extreme" stuff that's not happy for preschoolers; interesting little details like gates to change the direction of the cars, an elevator, and a mechanic's lift. Definitely don't pay a lot for this, but definitely also don't hesitate if you've got a modest budget and a little person who's obsessed with cars. Right now it's on sale at the store whose middle name is a backwards R.

I thought this would be a wonderful X-Mas present for my 3 yr old, but it has been quite disappointing. The spiral ramps are always falling off, the elevator repeatedly gets stuck, and the space in between the levels is so small that it's hard for even a child to fit his hand in there to play. Forget about reaching in to the car wash! The whole thing is both poorly designed and very cheaply constructed, which is too bad because this has the potential to be a great toy.

There are so many car garages on the market and this one is great. The elevator works great and the spiral down has 2 exit options that are fun. It's pretty sturdy unless you have a wild child, but holds up well under normal play. I highly recommend this car garage

WHAT THE HECK! I just saw this same toy advertised in Toys R Us for $22.99 (30% off). You can't tell me this thing cost $60+.

We got one for our grandchild (3 years), then one for a second grandchild (2 1/2 years), then one for our house, (55+), for when they play and stay over.

It is easy to assemble. It is not a lot of small pieces, but more like six or seven pre-assembled pieces that you snap together. Pieces fit and the snap locks are true, so it stays together.

This is not as durable as the old Fisher-Price style garages made out of fibreboard that you could use as a step stool in a pinch. This is just plastic, and while it would be hard to break it, it wouldn't be that hard to knock the main pieces apart if you really threw it around. For normal play, and even pretty rough play, all of ours have held up well.

A few notes. The spiral ramp doesn't have much clearance, so while normal size matchbox cars while work on it, higher clearance pieces (delivery truck, concrete mixer, etc.) will get stuck. (Just like a real parking garage, heh-heh.) Probably 80% of our cars work fine.

The elevator is a little hinky. The handle turns a screw drive that lifts the elevator. Turn too fast or too slow and it won't work smoothly. Hasn't been a big problem, because the kids get the idea after a few tries. (Anyway the elevator hasn't been the most used part. Get this - every single kid has been fascinated by the little platform on the top floor that lifts the car up for an oil change. Up, down, up, down. It's amazing to watch.)

Big thrill - put the garage on a coffee table or hassock with the ramp exits at the edge, so the cars fly off into space when they leave the garage. This is, apparently, the coolest thing ever for a 2 1/2 year old.

You can't really tell from the photo, but if you look carefully you can see that there are plastic barricades that you can switch to divert cars off the ramp to different floors or to different exits. Kids got this idea right away, and love moving the switches.

So, not an heirloom and not indestructible, but good play value. Prices are all over the place, but it can be found for under $30.

My grandson loves his garage. Now he has a place to store some of his cars instead of plastic boxes.

I purchased this toy used for three dollars and it was the best three dollars I spent. My two year old spends an average of three hours playing with the garage daily. He does not own any matchbox cars but has hotwheels cars that work with the ramps and garage. All parts work on it, even being used, the levers all work, the lift for the garage all work as well too. The plastic is holding up well on mine. It is smaller the deminsions are not work fourty or even twenty five dollars.

Ramps broke within short period of time. Wouldn't recommend for child under 3. There is no support for the ramps that go around and they simply break off.

I never rate stuff, then I saw the low ratings for this toy. Then I saw the price Amazon wants you to pay! At Toys R Us this thing is around $25, and that is fair. I see what others are saying about quality and I am a wooden toy lover but for the correct price this toy is fabulous. Yes it does break apart but never actually breaks, which is key. My son has had this for over a year. He literally throws it sometimes, hard on the floor, the ramps pop off and he even puts it back together himself. He is two going on three. He spends a ton of time on independent play with this toy, which is rare for him. I recommend it if you are looking for an inexpensive way to entertain your child for long periods of time, for a long time, just dont pay $60.