Lastly, I honestly get tired of the exaggerations, on both sides of the argument.

1) LiPos are dangerous, but no more so than nitromethane. The reason the danger of LiPos seems to be such a cause for concern is because people typically have LiPos in their house, while it is common knowledge that any type of chemical fuel should be kept outside. Im sure there arent any more people that have had LiPo fires that have had fuel fires, but it is obviously much more of a shock to people expecting to charge their batteries like they charge their phones, so they would naturally cause a bigger fuss about it.

2) Either nitro or electric can be cheap or expensive. You can have a complete electric (1/10 scale) setup for well under $200. Sure, it will only do maybe 25 MPH and run for 15 minutes at a time, maybe a couple times a day. You can also buy new a new brushed motor / ESC for under $75 for both, and then do maybe 30+MPH. At the same time, you can easily drop $1000 right off the batt for a nice motor / ECU setup, a few LiPos, and a fast, < 1-hour charger, including some nice race car. On the nitro side, you can put together a cheap nitro seup, including your first gallon, for under $250, and always use the cheapest ($60) engines and cheapest replacement accessories (though, it will still be faster and run longer than that $200 electric). Or, you can buy some nice race buggy, a $400 dollar engine, a Li-Po receiver pack, a $150 starter-box setup, etc etc etc. Just know that these are typically the extremes.

Really, for your average joe wanting a fast and entertaining vehicle for 15-30 minutes at a time once or twice a week, both nitro and electric will end up quite similar in price.


3) Yes, nitros are more complicated. Yes, there have been cases where people had constant tuning and stalling problems all day with their nitros until they finally give up. However, there are also lots of people who have nitro setups that will run smoothely for as long as the tank is wet, and also get over 10+ gallons out of their engines. On the flip side, Ive heard (and experienced in some cases) enough stories of plugs melting, ESCs overheating, and plugs coming off to know that it is not always the breeze that it is sold to be. Nitros do usually take more effort to get working well, though, which can be a good or bad thing depending on the person who's asking.

Also note that these all prices listed are typical and reasonable retail pricing. What you can find on ebay, from your friend who owns the hobby store, or make yourself is not and should not be included.