RE: short course truck
Two options I would recommend: AE SC10 brushed - can be bought for 199 on tower. It doesn't come with a battery pack, but the pack is all you'll need to rip. This is what I went with two years ago, and I haven't looked back. I recently added a brushless system to it and a new set of tires. The stock tires are pretty lousy in the dirt. but for 200, you still have $50 in your budget to put into a good set of tires.
Other option I'd go with is the HPI Blitz. it's $250 on tower, but comes with a battery pack. Though I have no idea if the battery pack is any good. i also don't know the extent of how good the tires are for dirt traction. They are better than stock SC10 tires, but not sure how they compare with a good set of duratrax SC tires.