Is 400.00 a good price for the rtr? I know the Kits are loved on the site, but I haven't heard much about the RTR.

Its a great buggy but the kit IS better.

True, the upgrades the kit has (that the RTR doesn't have) retail for over $500.00. That means that if you don't buy the kit the first time, and upgrade to all its parts later, you will have wasted the full cost of a kit doing it. I did the math once before:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=3945197