Regardless of what type of car you buy, it can be broken. Aluminum bends and plastic either bends or snaps, no way around it. I bought a Redcat Hurricane XP 1/8th scale buggy for $260 w/shipping, and I have compared its construction to my Losi Megabaja and the construction is similar in where plastic and metal parts are used and applied. In fact my Hurricane XP uses more aluminum parts than the Megabaja does, for which I paid almost $450. Also my Hurricane XP runs faster and accelerates quicker than my Megabaja, and guess what I have broken both of them too!!! LOL YAR HAR HAR!!! I even took my Hurricane XP down to my LHS and let the owner I know drive it and he was saying HOLYFREAKINGDOGCRAPBATMAN, this car is really good for the money you paid!! Also remember just about everything we buy in the US is made in China, and I don't doubt many of the parts for my Losi Megabaja are made in China too!! So if you want, save your money and get a 1/8th scale buggy with a bigger engine and heavier parts and go hit the track. Just because the cars are cheap doesn't mean they are of poor quality and if you break something its cheaper to repair!!!