Originally Posted by bill_delong

Nitro is insanely expensive, not only for the initial price to get into the class, but extra cost for fuel and added tire wear due to longer mains make it extremely cost prohibitive for me to run nitro.

Technology has advanced so much in electrics that they have finally started to out perform nitro with faster lap times and prove to be more economical with shorter mains offering far less expense on replacing batteries/tires, etc...

TEKNO has been the hot car to get in our area lately, they offer a 50% lifetime warranty making them the least expensive brand to maintain and also an extremely competitive platform, also worth noting they are currently being represented as the #1 fastest brand in the world right now:
https://www.top25rc.com/nitro-buggy

If you are prior military then TEKNO offers a discount where I can get a kit for $485, and decent electronics for the following prices:
Servo - $50
Charger - $100
Radio - $200
4S LiPo -$50
Motor - $65
ESC - $110

Total - $1K + incidentals (not including wheels because that is a consumable)

A savvy buyer will buy a gently used car from a racer who properly maintained it for roughly half the price