Guys,

I'm in almost the same boat as this guy but my goal is a little different.
I've got about a $600 budget +-. My Dad built me an Optima when I was a kid.
A huge part of the fun was in building it. I kind of want to have the same experience but with a more modern car.

Can you guys recommend a 4wd electric offroad kit (buggy, truggy, or short course) that would be fun to build up?
I want something that would handle a dirt track with some jumps, and be pretty fast.
I dont intend to bash everything in sight but I realize that for me if a part snaps the fun ends for a while.

The Traxxas products seem durable but it doesn't look like you get to assemble anything.
The race buggies like the kyosho lazer, losi xxx-4, the team associated b44.. they look like they would be fun to build and drive but I'm concerned that they are too fragile.
What's the most durable of the 4wd race buggies?

Is there some middle ground? Something fun to build and tune and all that but isn't so cutting edge that it's usually broken.

Thanks