The rustler is a great truck for someone just starting out. It was my first off-road truck. Many people do not like the 2.5, but I think it is a great motor. Yes you do have to re-tune it with weather changes and such, but if you take the time to get to know the motor you will not have trouble. I still have the 2.5 in my Rusty and my Maxx. The only reasion I took it out of my Jato is because it just has too much power for the track I go to. I went down to a .12
But back to the Rusty. There is lots of aftermarket support and parts are easy to find.
Again I think it is a good starter truck.