If I were to start out all over again I would go nitro. I know brushless is faster, but from my own experience, it's a damn sight simpler to get a nitro going. Cheaper, too. If you're not racing, you don't need the e-peen that comes from having a brushless car that will outrun anything nitro, so unless you want nitro performance and live somewhere where the neighbors QQ about the noise, no reason not to go glow.

Cars I would choose....For on-road, NTC3+. Perhaps an RS4 3, since the current ones are pretty damn scale looking and shaft drive as well. For off road, MGT 3.0, perhaps a Savage or a Slayer.


Now, I know people are gonna come in here and be all "BUT D00D, I HAD XXX NITRO AND IT WAS A PILE OF..". Listen, I've been there. I bought a CEN when I could have bought an original Savage 25. Now, that CEN did treat me well and I got six years of lulz out of it, but it was hardly what I'd call noob friendly. The engine was a pile of, the gearbox was a weak link(And I found this out pretty quick once I ditched the OEM engine and went with an OS .18 CV-RX []), and it handled pretty badly. Honestly, if it hadn't been for me already being a gearhead to begin with, it would have chased me over to electrics.

You get one of these nitros and you will have a hassle. But if you get one from a major manufacturer, such as Traxxas, Associated, HPI, etc etc, then you won't have any problems. A good engine starts easily, it holds a tune well, it idles well, it never overheats, and it runs flawlessly every time you go outside. My OS engine does, but the CEN engine did not.


Even if it does go all stupid and decide to be a pile of, they have warranties. They have 1-800 lines. They have excellent parts support. The manuals are way better. They're built better to begin with. They're held together with allen head screws, not those #*%^)^(%( phillips screws the CEN was held together with.