I got into this hobby a few years ago. I got a used Futaba 9C on eBay for $120 and been very happy with it. As for receivers I used Assan module + rx, and recently moved to frsky system. They are as good as Futaba and very much more affordable (google around to get an idea, they even came with telemetry) . The bottom line is that you have a choice wrt to rx. I am sure that there will be a lot of people trying to talk to you out of third party module/rx systems. I can only say that if we applied that kind of logic to cars, we would be pretty much limited to Cadillac, Lexus and BMW.

If I were to get into the hobby today, I wouldst probably get a turnigy 9x (or equivalent) with a frsky module, and hack it with one of the several third party firmware. As for a buddy box, you can pick up any esky or similar radio, and fed the ppm into your box. If you are short on cash, but able/willing to do some work yourself, this is a great time to be in the hobby. And yes, 8 channels are plenty enough.

Good luck.
Alberto