Don't let people in LHS's discourage you. They just want you to buy products they support so they can make a profit. If you bought an HPI and went into a store that sold Traxxas only, they would tell you to go buy a Traxxas. Of course there is nothing wrong with HPI, they just can't make any money off of you.

Any rc you get is going to break and have problems. It really just depends on how much money you want to spend.

And thanks for the friendly welcome AAFH!