1000AU max...so that should be about...$750-$800 in U.S. moolah. If you are planning on racing, go ahead and get a Mugen or Serpent or something along those lines so you can already get used to the adjustment possibilities and a racing type vehicle without having to go out and buy a new ride (I am assuming you are wanting to run 1/10th scale 200mm touring, right?) Maybe a Serpent 710 and throw in a nice .12 and some reliable radio gear (FM without a doubt. Oh, and make sure to grab a failsafe, too). The Serpents and Mugens are high-end race cars, so if you are not wanting to start out that high, then I think a NTC3 Factory Team Kit would be a very nice choice. That way you get to still get to know the in's and out's of the car while you build it. But if you just want something to put fuel in and get going from the start, then a NTC3+ would be a nice choice--a very nice RTR.
Here is a link to the Serpent 710 if you want to look into it more:
http://www.mytsn.com/products/desc.asp?prid=3293
And here's a nice choice of racing motors as well (.12 size):
http://www.mytsn.com/products/prodlist.asp?prcid=20
I also see that you are an electronic engineer. Well that is a great thing so you can understand the importance of the radio gear more than others just starting out in the hobby. I strongly suggest getting a failsafe so there are no interruptions with the radio waves or having to worry about a battery failure.
Venom makes a nice failsafe:
www.venom-racing.com
And all the radio gear is really just on preference.
Hopefully this has given some light onto your situation
Good luck,
Tyler