powderhound

Hello everyone, I'll start off by saying that I am a complete stranger to the world of rc cars but am very interested in getting started. Could someone offer me some advice on at least which type of vehicle would best suit my needs. Basically I am a beginner who stumbled upon rc cars by selling dirt to a guy who was building a track for his son which made me think back to my friend who had the hornet and frog and stuff, then I googled rc cars and here I am. I have a small piece of land my company uses to dump landscape debris and such. It has dirt piles, piles of rocks, ruts, etc. I also have a bulldozer onsite to play around with. My question is what would you guys suggest would work best for basic fun (i.e buggy, 4wd truck, rock crawler, etc.)with no interest in anything formal(i.e competitions, races) for this type of terrain. I would like to spend about 250-350 for something that is RTR. I really love the Losi mini 8ight but am not sure it would be right for my situation. Thanks in advance!

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

Powder...check out the Traxxas Stampede 4x4 or the HPI Savage XS Flux. They're both a bit higher than the price range you stated...but you gotta pay to play.

The Mini 8ight looks cool, but it's not got much ground clearance. Not that that means much, but it should be a wicked car either way.

quietnas1

Stampede is a great beginner truck. So is the Savage Flux or Savage x 4.6 depending if you want nitro our electric.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

The X4.6 is an underrated, super awesome truck. ThunderbirdJunkie should have thought about that, being a Savage nut and all.

Foxy

This hobby possibly more than any other follows the adage 'you get what you pay for'. A good model that will be exciting day after day with minimal running costs and maintenance, will set you back more at the start, but will be well worth it. Id suggest looking at the savage flux, it is absolutely ideal for what you want to do and where you want to run. It is going to run you quite a bit more than you budgeted once you throw in a couple of batteries and a charger, but i assure you there are very few ways to have as much fun with your clothes on. I did not even bother to clean mine in the first 20 hours if use, and it has now gone over 30 hours without any maintenance of any kind. Out of a lot of RCs i have owned, of every scale and power source, from cheap bashers to the highest end race cars, the flux never fails to satisfy and if you told me i could keep only 1 rc, that would be it.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

ThunderbirdJunkie disagrees. The few times he's run a 1/8 Savage Flux have eclipsed many times he's had fun with his clothes off.

Granted, one of those times was his Savage XS Flux, but let's not get into that.

Foxy

I bow to your, er, passion for the hobby TBJ.

Smiff 24

[X(] [X(] [X(] [X(] LOL !!!!
With all those dirt piles im thinkin crawler, but with a dozer on site the savage sounds sweet.
I wish I could of better advice but id be torn between what to buy too.

powderhound

Thanks for the advice everyone, and as usual every time I think about messin with a new hobby $200 becomes $500 overnight. The savage looks ridiculous but $600.00 plus probably would be tough...now 4 something for the Stampede 4x4 might be an option. My one concern is not as much the cost of the vehicle but the ongoing cost to maintain and repair as well as my experience level. I tend to immerse myself once I get started on something new and do the leg work to learn but dont want to get something that is so overly complex in terms of set-up, upgrades, etc.  Is traxxas a brand that offers good support and access to parts, info, etc. Their website seems pretty nice. Thanks again for your opinions!  

quietnas1

Savage X4.6 is $464.99. Here is the link.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-w-24GHz-Radio

Traxxas Stampede 4x4 VXL Brushless RTR Monster Truck w/2.4Ghz Radio, Battery & Wall Charger is 399.99. Link
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...y-Wall-Charger

Both trucks are tuff. The Savage is tuffer and can take one hell of a beating. Both HPI and Traxxas offer excellent customer support. Finally the Stampede is a 1/10 scale truck while the Savage is a 1/8 scale truck.

Foxy

The stampede (generally called the 'pede for short) is all round a decent beginner truck. But as quietnas pointed out, it is quite a bit smaller than the 1/8th monsters.

You don't have to spend 600 bucks to get a Savage flux, this http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXBTEB&P=ML with Tower's discount code for $50 off (someone will supply you with it, don't worry ) is a steal at about 475, especially now that it comes with a 2.4Ghz radio.

powderhound

I really can't decide what to do, but a huge thanks for the continued ideas and links for the trucks. I LOVE the trucks but seem to keep to be going back to the buggy style. i guess just personal style. I think I'm gonna hit a few area hobby shops to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with. In regards to using local shops versus internet, what do most of you guys and girls do? Online or local shop. I got an unbelievable deal when I bought my mountain bike online but most shops I took it to for repairs or upgrades broke my stones for not buying from them or at the very least didnt go out of their way to get me in or out (did find a great one finally). I'd always like to support local businesses but sometimes prices online are just to good.

quietnas1

My Jato I bought from the hobby shop. My Savage I bought online. Three deal was to good to pass. When I need parts quickly I go to the local hobby shop as well. They are great, knowledgable, and friendly.

SyCo_VeNoM

online
most hobby shops I been to cater to the intro people with models they have, but will stock parts for RC's they don't sell.
Like the hobby shop I go to they don't sell for example OFNA Jammin vehicles, but they have the parts to fix them in stock

rcslsafut

if you intend on running a truck in a gravel pit or dirt mounds , you would most likely need a vehicle with good ground clearance , thats why everyone is suggesting
a monster truck, they have the best ground clearance , the next relm of r/c that meets your criteria woult be a truggy (a hybrid between a monster and a buggy )
there are several good ones out there , tend to be a little more pricey than what your talking about , but almost indestructable , then there is the buggy , not as much clearance
but still COULD be used in a area without big rocks ! tons of good buggies out there . last but certianly not least is a rock crawler , thery have huge articulation and great
reduced gear ratio,s as to tackle big obstacles in thier way! they can be fun in thier own way ! then there is the question of do you want to go with nitro , or electric ?
if you go with nitro ,they are inherantlly fast and usually need big open spaces to operate ! they can be finicky and fussy to tune , but they are a kick in the pants to run !
electric, there are no tuning issues , there is brushless ,( a type of motor that inherantlly has a lot power than it's brushed counterpart) if you go with brushed it lot less expensive
but the wow factor is lower too. !! the best thing you could do is find a freind , and drive thier vehicle to see if you like the particular vehicle ,that person is in too !

yakfish

My Feedback: (27)

Check this one out. 1/10 truggy which is closer to your price range. An 1/8 scale truggy would be ideal for what your are describing but this one would do nicely also for your price range.
http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...-w-24GHz-Radio