Rummy12,
I too am new to the hobby. I was looking for weeks before I pulled the trigger on my ECX Ruckus. I too wanted a 4WD, brushless monster truck. There are some good ones out there too. After looking at the local shop, I saw the ECX Ruckus and bought it right then and there. It's water proof, tough and hell, looks really mean and is bigger than the competition. I love it so far, but is is a beginners truck. For the money ($170) you can't go wrong. Here is a video that gives a pretty good review. I like tinkering with these things as much as I like driving them so I'm looking forward to making upgrades. After all, I didn't go with 4WD because it would have just been a bigger strain on the battery and these Monster Trucks can go just about anywhere you want them to. ECX does make a 4WD version and I think it's brushless too. If I could have afforded it, I probably would have gone with that. I here the Traxxas Stampede 4x4 Monster Truck is a crowd favorite, but I couldn't get past the funny looking stance.

For the money, you can't go wrong with the ECX Ruckus. But if you budget is bigger than what mine way, your options are greater. Let me know what you end up getting. Either way, your going to be happy you got into the hobby.