quote:

ORIGINAL: yakfish

I guess the first thing for you to descide is the power source. Nitro or electric. Both are good and really boils down to personal prefference. I have run nitros around dog who where terrified of the noise and would just bark at it if it got too close but wouldn't chase it. But the same dogs would chase an electric car. so it may depend on your dog if that is you main goal for it. IMO the most durable RC's whether it be nitro or electric will be 1/8 scale. Then two best options would be a buggy or truggy. A truggy will have more ground clearance than a buggy and does a little better in grass especially if the grass is long. both handle well and can be as fast as you want them to be really. a buggy will handle a little better and be more nimble due to the lower center of gravity but if grass is long it may have trouble getting through if you slow it down. My personal choice for what you are wanting to do would be a 1/8 truggy and my power source of choice is brushless electric. If you keep your eyes open on the used market you should be able to find one but a used nitro might be easier to find in your price range.

As far as radio range: basically if you can see it well enough to determine the direction its fac ing you will be able to control it. Range really isn't an issue with these cars as the radios are capable of a range beyond a 1/4 or maybe even 1/2 mile.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BKoz559

Used is usually how I acquire 95% of my RC vehicles but, you need to be careful because you never know how hard the car was driven.  The more beatup it looks the cheaper it should be.  There could be hidden problems like fine cracks in the plastics that you don't see.  Later one that piece may break more easily than it should have.  If it looks excessivly worn and dirty that means the owner may not have taken time to break it down, clean it and maintain things like the bearings, differential and check for damaged parts.  You can save money this way but you also need to be aware of what to look for.  For example:

-Check overall condition, cleaner is usually a good sign.  Check the underside for scratches.  There will always be some but, if it's really bad then the vehicle took some hard hits and that may mean possible bent or broken suspension parts.
-Compress the suspension, check for binding.  That would indicate a bent shock shaft or hinge pin.
-Check the smoothness of the wheels, if they squeak, wobble escessivly, bind or make abnormal sounds then those are signs of potential problems.
-Check functionality of the electronics, basically drive the vehicle and make sure all controls are operational.

I know this may be a little difficult for someone who has no prior experience with RC but, common sense goes a long way.

I like Yak's idea because I agree 1/8 scale vehicles are big harry-chested beasts but, it will be hard to find a good one within your budget and converting an 8ight to brushless is usually a larger task than most new-comers want to endure.

You will probably have to look at 1/10 2WD trucks.  If you think organized racing at a local club might even be a consideration then I think you should look into short course trucks.  If you want something fun that's versatile and all-terrain then in addition to short course, look at monster trucks or stadium trucks.  Monsters will usually handle the grass and rough dirt the best because of the larger tires and plush suspension.  SC trucks have great suspension too but are usually lower to the ground and have slightly smaller tires but, basically all tracks have a class to race then and they look more realistic.  There are some 4x4 vehicles that may fall into your price range but, when you factor in a couple of decent batteries, a charger and couple of basic hand tools then you will probably go over budget.

quote:

ORIGINAL: yakfish

HPS doesn't have a very good reputation for quality or durability. If I were you I would stick with a name brand product. Look at Team Associated, Losi, Thunder tiger, HPI, Ofna ect. there are alot of good brands to choose from without having to get a knock-off.

Edit: just came across this deal. looks like just what you need. If I was in the market for another one I would buy it myself!
http://www.rctech.net/forum/r-c-items-sale-trade/680056-hot-bodies-d8t-e-rtr.html

quote:

ORIGINAL: kettlecorn

quote:

ORIGINAL: yakfish

HPS doesn't have a very good reputation for quality or durability. If I were you I would stick with a name brand product. Look at Team Associated, Losi, Thunder tiger, HPI, Ofna ect. there are alot of good brands to choose from without having to get a knock-off.

Edit: just came across this deal. looks like just what you need. If I was in the market for another one I would buy it myself!
http://www.rctech.net/forum/r-c-items-sale-trade/680056-hot-bodies-d8t-e-rtr.html

Oh that looks nice. I dont know what it means though haha

Any opinions on this? http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bar/3391793146.html
he said '' i need to put the front to the body''. I have no idea what this means. but it comes with batteries and what not. 

EDIT: Here's some additional info on the parts. battery is dtx 5000 esc is traxxas waterproof xl5 motor is titan 12t 550

quote:

ORIGINAL: yakfish

quote:

ORIGINAL: kettlecorn

quote:

ORIGINAL: yakfish

HPS doesn't have a very good reputation for quality or durability. If I were you I would stick with a name brand product. Look at Team Associated, Losi, Thunder tiger, HPI, Ofna ect. there are alot of good brands to choose from without having to get a knock-off.

Edit: just came across this deal. looks like just what you need. If I was in the market for another one I would buy it myself!
http://www.rctech.net/forum/r-c-items-sale-trade/680056-hot-bodies-d8t-e-rtr.html

Oh that looks nice. I dont know what it means though haha

Any opinions on this? http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bar/3391793146.html
he said '' i need to put the front to the body''. I have no idea what this means. but it comes with batteries and what not. 

EDIT: Here's some additional info on the parts. battery is dtx 5000 esc is traxxas waterproof xl5 motor is titan 12t 550

I wouldn't give more than $30 for that mess!

quote:

ORIGINAL: phmaximus

Im thinking a traxxas Slash, its the only SCT that has a high chassis to reduce drag on grass.
Its durable, and can be made nearly unbreakable with RPM upgrades.
u can get great speed from the 2wd and 4x4 versions.
the range is within urlimits

quote:

ORIGINAL: phmaximus

Racing is alot different to exercising a dog.

Ive been thinking about the OP's requirements and I really think something with inclosed wheels is nearly a must and i wouldent reccomend anything with a spoiler.

Trust me ive seen it, some dogs will attack the wheels and absess over them, I think something with inclosed wheels has a good chance to stop them from attacking it and hopefully they will just chase it with the odd nip or bite. one dog i know attacked a rustler I had, it use to bite the wheels and pick it up then shake the living hell out of it, im so luckly it never stripped out the servo or broke anything, but I did end up with a few puncher marks on the tyres.

I wouldent jump into any car just yet untill u are completly happy.

by the sounds is the car is mainly be going flat out up and down a grass oval and been chased by a dog


1 Durable, well thats just obvious why

2 Fast, need to be able to give the dog a run for its money

3 Grass capable

4 long run time, good 30min pluss?


Now Think a SCT would be a great option as well as a 1/8 rally car.

and 4x4 would be better to be able to acelerate faster than the dog on grass

A slash would run cooler and possible faster on grass, but the down side is, because of the speed u will be going to keep up with the dog its very easy to flip over if u turn to sharp.

I dare say a 1/8 rally car would handle better, but then againe would it? & might be out of the price range

Got any ideas on how ur dog reacts to Nitro and brushless motors? what would be better?
IMO there is less of a chance of the dog burning it self on a brushless car

quote:

ORIGINAL: phmaximus

Yeah m8, brushless is just the style of electric motors, brushed and brushless.

Because u ndont need inclosed wheels that opens up even more options. On grass bigger is better.

Babababababaaaahhh how funny is that dog toy, I've never seen them before, wonder if uncan get spare parts?

1/5 gas is the ultimate Rc land vehicle, with plenty of wow factor, no kidding I was playing with one ne'er the beach and one guy stopped in the middle of the road just to watch, he nearly caused a crash... Nearly every time I've used my 1/5 some one allways come up to ask questions. No complaints yet, most people that don't like them are to shy to say anything so it's a win win

Only thing with 1/5 if u are not carefully and dont drive nicely it can ruin the grass. Generally it's fine. Oh and the part's are bigger, stronger and cost more

That Baja u found is Awsome, great value for money, sure it's a exact copy of another brand, but it's got loads more goodies, mainly the bigger engine and tuned exhaust!
There is also a crazy amount of upgrade parts for those things

quote:

ORIGINAL: yakfish



I think this is what you want. 1/8 truggy, you can,go either nitro or electric with them. And you will have very few problems with it flipping over. Less than any other class.