What should we start with?

[TheFrog]

Hello All,
My first post here. Me and a couple of buddies are looking to buy some R/C off-road buggies/truggies and would like some advice. We have never owned any RC execpt for small cheap toys as kids. We are leaning toward a nitro of some type but would consider electric. We are looking to spend around $200. We are three bored engineers but know very little about RC. We don't want a lot of maintenance but understand there is going to be some no matter what. We want to get the most for our money and a reliable brand. We are not smart enough to build our own but we are smart enough to ask around before we buy!
Also, I have 5 acres and a tractor to build a track (dirt/sand). Any tips (or things to avoid) on building the track would be appreciated.

I know this is a very low-level question for most of you but any advice would be appreciated.

[BoogeyMan]

welcome the biggest answer to your ? is you get what you pay for :rock:
http://www.amainhobbies.com/index.php/cPath/1_44_48 from this link you can see there isnt anything for $200.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/index.php/cPath/1_44_228 now for elec you can see the prices are alot closer to your price:winner: but IMO ELEC sucks lol:confused:

[LUV DA AIR]

yeah like Boog said, $200 isnt much when it comes to nitro.

1/8 buggys are the F1 of off road competion racing and easiest to maintain.

1/8 Truggys are the fastest trucks. They make them bigger in scale, but 1/8 are THE fastest.

1/10 off road is cool but has kinda died out.

I would hit the local hobby shops and see whats the most popular in your area and what parts are available, jus my.02

[cbonner99]

Smae as the other guys. You get what you pay for. YOu may be able to find something used for that price, but if you don't know anything about them to start off with it would be easy to get bent over on one. Go to a hobby shop that carries RC vehicles and if there is a track around you MOST racers are more than willing to help a guy out.

GOOD LUCK

[TheFrog]

Thanks for the help.
Have you all heard of the VOLCANO Nitro Gas Truck with Large VX-18 Pro Engine + RC + Nitro Start Pack ? It is on sale at minirccar.com for $220.
They also have a TORNADO BB Nitro Gas Buggy 2 Speed Large VX-18 Pro Engine + RC + Nitro Start Pack for $209?
And a Bungee Nitro Gas Buggy 2 Speed Large VX-18 Pro Engine + RC + Nitro Start Pack for $196?
They are all 1/10. Do any of these sound like something that we could just take out and have some fun with?

[BoogeyMan]

yes until you break something and then spends days on the net looking for parts :shoot:

[TheFrog]

Wouldn't that be the case with any RC? Or are you saying that if we only spend $200 we will be replacing parts all the time, or are you saying that if we buy that brand we will not be able to find parts?

[cbonner99]

The vehicles you are looking at have very limited or nonexistent spare parts available. WHEN you break something you will have a pretty expensive paperweight if there are no spares available.

We are not trying to talk you out of whatever you want, BUT there has to be some consideration of what are you going to do when you break a part and can not find anything to replace that part with?

[rookie]

Wouldn't that be the case with any RC? Or are you saying that if we only spend $200 we will be replacing parts all the time, or are you saying that if we buy that brand we will not be able to find parts?FROG GO TO YOUR LOCAL HOBBY SHOP AND SEE WHAT PARTS THEY STOCK THE MOST OF. I THANK TRAXXAS IS GOOD TO START WITH. YOU CAN GET PARTS AT MOST HOBBY SHOP. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU.:thumbs:

[nitrowolf]

I think what Boog is trying to say is that if you are not willing to spend the money for a brand name truck then you can expect to have a hard time finding parts. Associated, Kyosho, Losi, HPI, Mugen, Traxxas, Ofna, etc, etc, are brand name vehicles that are usually easy to find parts for at most local hobby shops or the internet. The vehicles you listed I have never heard of any of them and I've been into r/c for 8 - 9 years. It's not saying that they are not a good vehicle but that if anything breaks, and believe me they will break, you are going to have a really hard time trying to find parts for it. If you can buy only one truck try and save a little more or spend a little more and get a quality brand name truck. Hope this helps!:D

[dirtovalonly]

Find the closest hobby store to you,see what they carry in that price range.If you have a couple hobby stores close to you even better to see what they carry and how quick they can get parts if they don't have them in stock. Because like a few people have already said if it breaks how long before you can fix it. People that come into the store I help out at I always tell them the car/truck/buggy/truggy all have plastic parts so sooner or later they will break. Usually it's when plastic meets metal/cement/large unmovable object. So parts avaibility should be near the top of your shopping list needs.By the way most of the time I noticed on-line cars mean on-line headache:cussing:.If it's not a well know manafacturer steer away from it.

[ottoseller]

I think what Boog is trying to say is that if you are not willing to spend the money for a brand name truck then you can expect to have a hard time finding parts. Associated, Kyosho, Losi, HPI, Mugen, Traxxas, Ofna, etc, etc, are brand name vehicles that are usually easy to find parts for at most local hobby shops or the internet. The vehicles you listed I have never heard of any of them and I've been into r/c for 8 - 9 years. It's not saying that they are not a good vehicle but that if anything breaks, and believe me they will break, you are going to have a really hard time trying to find parts for it. If you can buy only one truck try and save a little more or spend a little more and get a quality brand name truck. Hope this helps!:D

i agree 100%

also 1/10 scale can be as much fun as 1/8 scale and cheaper.
check to see what is being run at local tracks. :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:

[stouty109]

i think they all hit it on the head theirs nothing more anyone could say to help yall out, they know what they talkin about

[scoobie]

Definately start by going to your local hobby shop, see what they have, ask them questions about the cars they recommend...but always get a second opinion! :D When the shop tells you to get 'brand A/model B', you can come back and ask others what they think.

IMO, For a purely fun bash session with your buddies, I think the traxxas slash is ideal.


http://images.amainhobbies.com/images/large/tra5805.jpg

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_44_228/products_id/24953

Yeah, I know its not nitro, but its cheap, fast enough for rookie drivers, and more importantly...durable enough for rookie drivers!! Plus, stock 'spec classes' are popping up everywhere, so there is a good chance you could find a track nearby that races them...the scale realism to the fullsize CORR trucks is unreal. If you built a track on your land that is scale in comparison to the CORR tracks, it would be the only one in existance:winner: Bashing around the back yard with buddies in something that actually looks like a real car would be fun:shoot:

Keep in mind, that price doesnt get you batteries or a charger!

Buy the best batteries you can afford. http://www.amainhobbies.com/advanced_search_result.php?filter_cat=224&keywords=7.2

Buy the best charger you can afford.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/advanced_search_result.php?filter_cat=116&keywords=ac%2Fdc

Like others said before, you get what you pay for and electric accessories are no different.

Either way, I say go with electric to start. I know, the website is called nitroaddicts, but the RC hobby as a whole is very addictive...so youll get more and Im sure a nitro will be next!:thumbs:

[LUV DA AIR]

I totally agree with Scoobie. You'll have more fun with this electric stuff he mentioned, than you will with the Nitro cars you have. There are 3 grades of RC cars. The first is Hobby grade RC, it is the best stuff, its only sold at hobbyshops or online By hobbyshops. The second is toy grade rc, the stuff wal-mart and RadioShack sells. Last but not least there is the Junk grade, which is the stuff knobody has ever heard of or you cant find parts for. BECAREFUL with this stuff. This junky stuff will turn you off from RC real quick, when you cant get parts, or it dosent perform as well as anything at the racetrack.

[TheFrog]

Thanks everyone for your help. I noticed most of you recommend going to our hobby shop first thing. Well, we live in the desert of New Mexico and there are no hobby shops...at all, anywhere. So if we need replacement parts we are going to have to get them on-line anyway. It is bothersome that no one has heard of those brands but the same website also had a link to every replacement part on the vehicles? But to be on the safe side, we should probably save a little more money and get one of the brands you all recommend?
Thanks again.

[cbonner99]

:thumbs: You will be better off in the long run. When you start running the vehicle, you WILL break parts. When you do you can look for aftermarket parts that fit and are stronger or get several spares when you get the replacements. As you get more familiar with the vehicle, you will find that you do not break as much or as often (unless you are trying to :D).

Have fun and let us know what you end up getting and if you have any problems. We can get you going again between everyone that is here.

[ottoseller]

Thanks everyone for your help. I noticed most of you recommend going to our hobby shop first thing. Well, we live in the desert of New Mexico and there are no hobby shops...at all, anywhere. So if we need replacement parts we are going to have to get them on-line anyway. It is bothersome that no one has heard of those brands but the same website also had a link to every replacement part on the vehicles? But to be on the safe side, we should probably save a little more money and get one of the brands you all recommend?
Thanks again.
no hobby shop, no problem
you have a hundred of them right there on your comp.
the shops that advertise right here on this site are a good place to start.
one of them, i think it is Horizon (not sure now) sends out a free catalog
ever so often. and do not forget Ebay. most stuff i buy comes from a
hobby shop on Ebay.