Yes, he probably would. But also remember that a buggy runs and handles differently than even a Revo. So, whichever truck he gets, LST2, Savage, or even Revo, he will have to drive differently. If he gets a Revo, I think that might be better for him since he, as a racer, would probably be tempted to eventually start racing it in the MT class. But as for a strict basher (little or no racing in mind), with pretty much set-and-forget suspension set-up, the Savage makes a great beat-up truck. The LST2 would fall inbetween Savage and Revo, the LST2 can be bashed and raced.

Now, for modded trucks: The Revo is alot tougher than it looks, and with little upgrades, it can be made pretty much bullet proof. I am not familiar with the LST2 hop-ups, but being a Losi, I know there are hundreds of hop-ups to make that a tough tuck also. And of course, the Savage can be made way tougher than it alerady is with hop-ups from virtually every aftermarket company. Also, the Savage can be made into an extreme racer, with even better handling and racing characteristsic than a stock Revo, but it will not be cheap.