It seams most agree Lionel O gauge trains were expensive in the 1950s and today. People can only do something about expensive Lionel 0 gauge trains now and they have several choices, examples below.
1 chose to not buy Lionel O gauge trains
2 chose to buy used late model Lionel O gauge trains with the latest features
3 chose to buy used MPC Lionel O gauge trains without all the modern features
4 chose to buy used post war Lionel O gauge trains without the latest modern features
A desire or need for "scale" Lionel O gauge trains will also affect ones choices.
Charlie