Duratrax is all but dead. They killed off the Evader after, what, 20 years? The only DTX car still available is the 835 buggy. I think Hobbico is going to make Duratrax a pit equipment only brand.

HPI? That's another old brand that is showing signs of dysfunction and lack of direction and/or inspiration. I'm really confused by them.

You can't go wrong with Traxxas, since they're everywhere. Parts are easy to get at the LHS or online. Even better is the even better RPM parts you can get for just about any Traxxas model. Replace broken parts with RPM parts, and you're golden. Some may debate Traxxas for style (the Rally body was pretty much panned as "fugly") or engineering choices (some like the telescoping UV-joint axles, some don't) but they do perform about as well as anything, especially if yer just getting started.

I really dig rally racing! My first RC (Duratrax Evader) eventually got a 2005 Subaru WRX STI body from Tamiya. I was really interested in getting some kind of rally car, and I remember looking at the video reviews of the Traxxas Rally and the Losi (what'd they call it? Rally10X? It was one of the first cars to get the Spektrum AVC treatment) and was really interested in them. But the $400 price tag kinda put me off. I'm a cheap bas****. What I remember about them is that they performed very well off road, or on, with one caveat: getting air time, the low front bumper and front body tended to catch the ground on not-so-flat landings, and would flip the car. Trimming the front end and raising the front bumper helped a lot. If you like the rally platform, you might like the off-road/on-road capability of that type of platform. 4wd is awesome.

The Slash you listed is 2wd. It's a popular platform, but not one of the best. Getting the LCG (Low Center Gravity) chassis makes it a lot better. And of course, there are tons of RPM and Proline parts for it to make it better and tougher. 2wd will teach you to be a better driver, as driving a 2wd vehicle off road is challenging. You learn to counter-steer. The elite racers are 2wd. 2wd cars do not like grass. Too much drag which translates to too much strain on the motor and heating becomes an issue.

The Rustler, pretty much the same. Stadium Trucks were the dominant race platform until Short Course hit, then it was all about Short Course, which the Slash started. The Rustler is a little smaller than the Slash, so a good fit if you have a small work bench. Short Course trucks are considerably bigger. The Rally is about the same size as the Slash, just more lexan body!

All three of those vehicles will drive differently. So what a "good choice" is depends on your primary driving spot. If you have the scratch, you might also consider the Slash 4x4. 4wd is more capable off road, and there are all kinds of different bodies made that fit. (Look at Parma)

As for value, you're heading up the right road looking at bone fide hobby-grade stuff. Traxxas can be a little pricier than other brands' offerings in the same categories (look at Arrma) but Traxxas spends HUGE amounts of money on marketing, and they don't charge hobby stores to stock their products like other makers do (which makes it easier on the LHS) which is why every LHS carries Traxxas if they carry anything. For someone getting into the hobby, if they're interested in a Traxxas product, I don't try to steer them away. Get what you LIKE! Providing it's within' your budget, of course.