There's a few car guys who visit here regularly... don't give up completely.

The options are so varied with the R/C cars/trucks now... its amazing. I was just in talkng with a couple of guys at the hobby shop about them. (Thinking of getting back into them... after 15 years)

The all in one box RTR deals.... won't have the high power motor or the ball bearings, thus they won't be competitive if racing. Not bad for getting started in learning to control the vehicle though. And most can be upgraded. (except the Radio Shack toys.)

It costs less in the long run to buy a better kit, which includes the ball bearings and lets you pick your motor. Just buying the ball bearings to upgrade costs more than the diffeerence in the kits. (when there's no radio included in either)

Speed controls... the higher the price, the less the resistance in the speed control (generally...) and thus the faster you can go.
Don't even think of using the 3-speed mechanical resistor pack speed control (which comes with some kits) You get enough better control with the electronic one that its well worth the cost.

The radio won't be terribly expensive. Futaba has a decent package deal with a single servo and a medium grade speed control.

The better the battery charger you get... the less you'll have to spend replacing batteries. The cheap mechanical timer type works... but I've exploded batteries by charging too soon after running the car. All that's in the cheap mechanical timer charger is a resistor and the timer-switch. No safety circuits to protect the batteries.

Price varies so much with where you get it... shop around.