The confusion.....whenever somebody asks what car they should buy it just opens a can of worms. Just check out whats on sale, how much parts are, does it look tough and all that stuff and buy something to suit your budget, taste and skill level, why would you buy a super expensive car if your a noob? I started out racing with an RTR revo.....great truck, smashed it several times, accidentally run it lean a couple of times, when I was done i chucked it on ebay and used the cash to help fund my dream car. Now I know how to drive, how to tune and all that, I never really break anything (accidents still happen, I aint perfect). If you buy a tricked up car with all the bells and whistles and your always smashing it, you will be replacing expensive parts, most RTR's are really durable and have the beginner in mind, thats why they are not tricked up to make em light....its not going to matter to a beginner.

You will find that a lot of the RTR stuff on the market has been well thought out and is pretty tough, you will also find that just because some part is aluminium and shiny it doesnt mean its the best part in the world, or even that its better than composite or other plastics, sometimes its just a gimmick (anybody who ever bought integy parts knows this).

E.G CEN Matrix RTR - $400 to your door
CEN Matrix FRE - $400 to your door +radio + engine + pipe = big $$$$

Matrix RTR is indestructable, I've seen them take an absolute beating and get back up and keep on going.

Matrix FRE, gave my mate a go, broke a carbon fibre shock tower worth 40 big ones[]......nobody drives my car now
you be the judge.