I'm a total newbie and I've run about 1/2 gallon of nitro through my Shockwave. I really beat on the buggy! Cart wheels, major air jumps on asphalt, running full throttle through pot holes. I've trashed my rims and broke various suspension parts, but they are cheap enough to order online. The car is tough. About the support forums, I'm sure this sounds stupid to veterens , but for the neebies there shoud be a sticky devoted to rims/tire/wheels that fit the redcat vehicles. These forums are great, but my complaint would be about the redcat tornado thread. It should be renamed the redcat clutch assembly forum. A post can start out as what is your favorite body color and it ends up being 100 posts about cluch bells. I would assume the large majority of newbies purchase Tornados or Volcanos why not a newbie thread based around beginner issues. Not another post on how many teeth you use with your clutch bell.
That said I've really got a lot of help from the forums.

About the car itself...It is durable. But tunning. Forget it. I'm sure it is operator error, but still a pain. The .15 engine is a DOG! Get the .18, if you can sprig for it. Forget about any LHS support. just about everyone at my two LHSs didn't know what redcat was and really couldn't be bothered with an off brand. After begging for help with new wheels I was told, "That's what you get for getting an Internet car. They don't use standard parts". Both LHS are major shops with tracks and enourmans inventory of everything but Redcat.

If I was to do it again, I would get more common brand of nitro car. I'll be buying my Savage X 4.6 in about two weeks.

Not trying to start a flame war.Just stating the neebie experience.