RE: Best truck to get me into the hobby.
Well to answer some questions.. yes I will be alone (for the most part). The local 4x4 store has got into RC's and I know him ok as I used to buy some parts for my truck there. I'm sure if I buy some RC parts from him he could help me with tuning if there were any issues that were beyond me. That being said I do have a mechanical background (I'm actually in the automotive industry). We mess around with trucks, four wheelers and dirt bikes at the house. I'm sure there will be a learning curve but it shouldn't be anything out of reach for me.
I'm not too concerned with noise. We are on a 5-6 acre lot and constantly ride our four wheelers and dirt bikes and neighbors haven't complained yet. I would imagine the Savage would be quieter than the 2 stroke dirt bikes.
I got out of four wheeling due to the cost of gas. I used to have a fairly nice blazer that I enjoyed working on. I'm looking at coming into this hobby to have fun driving but to also have fun building the truck.
Originally I looked at going with an electric. And while I'm sure they are nice I feel like I'd enjoy a nitro RC more. I don't mind the break in process, maintenance etc..