The reason buggies are thought of as being more reliable & sturdy is because

A) They are LIGHT, so when they crash & land jumps, there isn't a whole lotta force at work

B) They are not designed for, nor often used for, bashing on unprepared surfaces. They are TRACK machines!!!! Exposed (thin!) shock towers, spindly a-arms etc are GREAT for getting the best lap times, but they'd be chewed up in the real world!!

And as there'd be no reason to put on MT tires & wheels for track use, I have to think you want to use it in the real world (fields, construction sites, yards, asphalt, etc.).

NOW YOU'D HAVE A WEAK MONSTER TRUCK, not a rugged buggy!

The weight difference between the wheel setups would be HUGE, and a buggy's drives & suspension would have to be beefed up a LOT.

If you want a "cross trainer", I think you'd be better off going the OTHER way. Get a MAXX or some other MT with a lot of suspension adjustments. Lower the ride as far as possible, work on some BUGGY wheels & tires, and you'd have a decent quasi-buggy. And the Maxx would shine here, as it's already nimbler & quicker than other MTs. Cut the tire/wheel weight in half & you'd get some pretty scary performance!

Dean