Yeah, that seems to be a good setup for what you plan. You probably won't find anything much cheaper. It is not basic like the one KiLeeO mentioned, but finding such a basic car will not be easy, especially with that body style. Pretty much all new rc's have ATLEAST steering.
You could also try to find a old model that is very similar to the one your dad got, but that would be very difficult, time consuming and probably more expensive than the setup that collector mentioned.
Hubert