Not really, he might drive it 3 times and let it catch dust. I have a friend's buggy in my hobby van that has less than half an hour's worth of run time on it...it's 4 months old... He bought a cheapo RTR so he could learn to race, and get started. His interests have shifted(he discovered girls...hehe), so if he'd spent nearly a grand on a first car, he'd have waisted it... On the other hand, if you intend to stick with it, keep racing, and drive it at least weekly, then a nicer ride is the better route.