Those hoop the hoop car track things - what are they called, which do you recommend?

[WearingPinkPyjamas]

The ones you set up against a wall and they go round some hoops - for normal sized toy cars. I think ds would love one for christmas from grandparents (even better if freestanding rather than having to be set up against the wall permanently). Any recommendations?

Do you mean these?
www.hotwheels.com/en-us/walltracks.html

They do loads of different free standing ones as well.

yes that kind of thing. Thank you. Anyone recommend any in particular?

If they're anything like the Hotwheels crap we had they'll be utterly shite and not even worth buying second hand from a charity shop.
The V-Drop? Cars just fell off halfway.
The Loop the Loop thing? Good at first but the plastic connectors twisted off very quickly.
The Snake one? Didn't gice enough power and cars fell off the tracks.
Pants, the lot of it.

DS2 has had hors of fund from Hot Wheels, but I have to say they have come in to their own since he got old enough to mix his sets up and design his own tracks. The basis track builder sets are much better than the more rigid/less imaginative sets IMO.

The wall ones aren't very good, take up loads of room, even on the wall and fall apart easily. Plus there's not much "play" value, you just get to watch your car do the same thing over and over.

hours of fun.... basic track builder...

what age do you think they work for? Ds will be 3 so maybe too young?

Yes, I think at 3yo he will need a lot of adult support. DS2 enjoyed them at about 6/8 yo, but has really got most out of them since he was 9/10 and started doing his own thing with them - combining sets to make mega layouts.

Our three yr old suprised me by building it himself the other day. He's nearly 3.5 though. I do find they tend to build it and play with it for a while rather than constant rearranging.

thanks - may wait a year or two in that case.