The only thing about the batteries and chargers that come with RTRs is, they are only good enough to get you going on the first day. The charger is so whimpy it takes hours to charge the NiMh pack, that is usually only 1500mah, which is good for about 5min of run time. Then you have to wait another 3 hours for the sucker to charge up. I'd rather they just forgo the battery and charger and charge me less for the car! For that matter, they could also forgo the radio too. ModelSportUK looks to have a lot to choose from. Tho they have some brands I've never heard of here, they may be common over there. I saw a 1/18 scale 4wd off-roader for only 56 pounds that looked to be decently built. But as Rusty said, your concern should be replacement parts availability. If MSUK stocks parts for all the models they list, you're probably good.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: RC cars meant for beginners should always be fitted with front and rear bumpers from the get-go. But I guess they want you to buy replacment parts. What ever you buy, find a good bumper set for it. If they don't make one for that model, find something and make it fit. A good bumper will save you lots of headache over repairs.