RE: Differences between Cup Racer & Switch?
ThunderbirdJunkie would buy a Tamiya M05 Pro kit for the front-wheel-drive chassis, and the HPI Cup Racer for the AWD car.
In RC there is no "Best" brand, but HPI has been consistently good over the years with a few minor terds (the Switch, being one).
BTW, Foxy, in the US quite a few on road tracks have a Mini class filled with Tamiya M chassis and the like.