hi vghhb ,you can find nitro 1/8 buggys for under $400 and electric ofna is a good brand and you can get parts on line try the ofna
.com the ofna warehouse , nitrohouse.com A main hobbies.com , towertobbies.com best bet is to find a rtr ready to run and then you can make it better and or faster 4 wd is the way to go for bashing or racing parts are better and stronger and hold up better
look into the ofna brand , if you pick up something used you will have to ( GO OVER THE WHOLE CAR ) and reset it up to your liking ,or race
prep it , ok , i know alot of racers they running kyosho , mugen losi team associated ,techno and a few other brands hope i helped you