RE: Buggy choice
The best RTR combos on the market are the RC8RS RTR, the Losi 8ight RTR and the HoBao hyper 8.5 BRCA edition, which comes with a starter box and a reasonable steering servo as standard.
These 3 represent the serious end of the RTR market. The BRCA is the one to go for if you want to race at a local club as its the only one with a .21 engine. As RTRs go all 3 have reasonable engines, with only the Losi having a 2.4ghz radio.