I am getting into nitro R/C after being in electric for 12+ years and I was looking at an Ofna MBX RTR Buggy. My question is. Are buggies good for "bashing" or are they for racing only? If you have another R/C to suggest that would be great also. I'm looking for one under $350. ANY advice would help! Thanks!

well i just got a hyper 7 that i plan to race but i do have another buggy that i bash like no tomorrow.i am sure my hyper will go the same route.no problems bashin.

Im going to probably get an ofna ravager. Those are pretty new and have a huge motor. they're $350, and I am looking to bash with it too.

ya, i love my ofna ravager engine is great and easy to tune. its one great basher tho...

well thats good to hear... it was either that or a tmaxx, but i couldnt get my eyes off that sweet ravager. So nightwish, get a ravager and bash it hard, thats what im going to do!

If you are looking for a buggy to bash, I'd suggest something that you can afford to fix a lot and has parts that are readily available. Bashing around on the street, parking lot, or backyard can play hell with parts. Bashing is really hard on a buggy. I'd try to avoid an RTR. RTRs usually come with crappy servos and the radios suck. Even my Mayhem RTR wound up needing new servos the first week and that was around a $500 rig.

If $350 is all you have, maybe you should wait a bit until you can afford a bit more.

Many of the RTRs will include an engine that either has a pull start or shaft starter on it. Both are a PITA as both utilize a one way bearing which will invariably go out and are not cheap. Pull starters also break regularly and are also not cheap. I'd say, start off right and go with a starter box.

well buggys are pretty expensive, and its impossible to get a kit with all the gear for even $600. For $350, the ofna would be the best choice or a MT like a savage or tmaxx.

you should get a hotbodies buggy, they are pretty tough. seen some fly, theyr crazy..

Since you say you are open to other R/C's, I would suggest a Monster Truck. But it all depends what thrills you about bashing, because a buggy could be a great basher.

Here's why I think MT's are a better choice...as posted in another thread:
"MT's can wheelie...buggies can't. MT's can go over curbs and small logs...buggies can't. MTS can deal with rougher terrain, higher grass, looser dirt, all better than a buggy. The big tires (if not too low profile) are better for absorbing impact. MTs can land from higher altitudes without the chassis slapping the groungd. If your bashing consists only of street racing, flat beach sand, groomed dirt, low grass, get a buggy. Buggies will generall turn tighter and brake better, but there is a lot more fun to be had with a MT. My favorite hardcore basher is a Savage. When I'm not planning to be too silly and I'm looking for more speed, I reach for one of my Revos. I've had at least 5 buggies (Mugen, Ofna, and Kyosho), 4 STs (Traxxas, Associated, Losi), 3 onroad (HPI, Serpent, Associated), 1/10 buggies (Kyosho, Losi), and I don't race. Nothing, for me, compares to overall fun that the MTs could provide. "

You can't go wrong with a Savage. If you'ld like to know why that truck in particular, I can go into deal if you wish...on this thread or in a private message. I do agree that if you go with a buggy, get one that is economical to fix. OFNA RTR buggies are perfect for that.

but the good thing about a buggy is that it can take jumps higher than most monster trucks can, its like a missle in the air and tank on the ground, does not break as much as mts, if you plan to race you got a racer right in front of you, and most of all the speed and the looks of a buggy can kill. if you plan on bashing without breaking much parts, go for a buggy, but if you can afford parts that break often but have fun in the air and on jumps, then go for a monster truck. just my .02

RE: to gasrc. Yeah id like to know why you like the savage the best. Like I said i'm open. I did forget to mention that I have an E-Maxx that im planing on keeping, so I kindu have a mt allready, but I do love to bash.

a savage is a great basher, but it is more expensive, a but slower and has only avarage handling on flater ground. Also, you have a electric MT already, so try something new and go for a buggy. MTS are good for maily big jumps and very rough terrain where as a buggy is good for both. Also buggys are stacked with aluminum and hard anodized parts. A ravager has thick aluminum shock towers and a hard anodized chassis and shocks.The huge .28 engine has tons of power and is the same size as the savage X. If all you want to do is all out bash, then get a savage, but if you want to drive on the street, race, and bash, get a buggy.

If you are arguing about which would be better to bash between a buggy and a monster truck, what about a truggy? All the benefits of a 1/8th buggy, but with truck tires for the ground clearance.

truggys for sure are good, but theyre are not many choices and they are really expensive. A blazer sst looks okay though.

They (OFNA Blazer, and now OFNA Mutilator) are based on the 9.5 series buggy, which though not the most competent racer, is a burly basher and are designed to be more affordable. Plus, the 9.5 series has enough CNC and graphite hop ups to satisfy even the most bling happy monster truck driver.

Also, the forum member Tazer Version A (whose name comes from the custom one off 9.5 based truggies he designs/fabricates/builds) could probably get you a titanium chassis or other trick parts too.

it really depends on the purpose of the user. nightwish5084, do you want to do some racing or bashing only. If you want to do some racing, look into a buggy with a .21 engine and if your bashing only get a ofna blazer/mutilator/ MT like a TNX.

I have an E-Maxx so while I probably will not be a die-hard racer I would like to race every once in a while. I also like the 4X4s better. I've had an electric Stampede and a Rustler. Those were fun but I prefer a 4X4 hands down!

I have a Savage 21, yes...the old school original. I've only broken one steerin hub and ablut 3 dogbones....this was before HPI realized those parts were not strong enough. They sent me the new updated versions and I never had another thing break on the truck at all. I even still have the stock steering servo and stock plastic shocks. The shocks have never broken or leaked. The shock towers and basicsuspension system has flex, whcih ist great for bashing, and rigid enough to perform well as a basher. I can drop this heavy truck straight down from over 4 feet wihout it bottoming out. It hits and sits. No bouncing at all. I've run into trees, curbs, cars, and brick wall and just bounced off. I can tell you how many highspeed cartwheels it's had on concrete. I've regularly jump the truck over 5 feet, higher only a few times. The thing is a tank. The only real irritation I had was some screws on the side that would vibrate loose. Design-wise the engine is a tighter fit tahn most trucks, which make gearing more limited than I would like. Parts are very readily available at every local hobby shop I've been to that caters to cars. It is true that it is not much of a flat ground performer, as it doesn't turn well on the street, but it does just fine with a little dirt under the tires. I find it pretty stable at high speed too. But I it was only going a bit over 35mph. I now have a more powerful engine for it. All of this time, I have never done internal maintence on it. I havent' even changed the slipper disc, just the clutch shoes and springs. I need to change the brake disc.

Now none of this means anything if I didn't have something to compare it to.

MTs I have/had: Savage 21, Revo, Monster Blazer
STs I have/had: RC10GT, Rustler
Electric Buggys: Ultima, JRX-Pro, Mini-T
Onroad nitro: RS4 Racer, RS4 Racer 2, Ofna GTP Viper, Serpent Impact
Electric Onroad: RC12L
1/8 buggies: Ofna Utral GLX, Ofna Hyper 7 Pro, Mugen Super Athlete, Kyosho MP5, some other Ofna buggy that I forgot the name of.

...and that were all primarily bashed. The Impact didn't like that. I sold that thing really qucik. I may be missing one or two vehicles. When it all came down to it, nothing gave me the overall joy of the monster trucks. The buggies just needed the terrain too smooth or the grass too low. tha couldn't co over anything, ony around them. I had to steer away from puddles I thoght were more than a 1/4" deep. They weren't nearly that fun in dried-up ditches. No wheelies. No flips on veritical walls. Donuts are not as cool. About the only things that the buggies could to better is accelerate, carrier greater speed in manuevers, jump further, and go under more parked cars. The 1/8 buggies were ceratinly more fun than the other vehicles I've owned, but fell below the MTs when it came to the kind of bashing I like to do.

I'd be a bit nervous about bashing a racer designed truggy because the arms are really long, and as such, more likely to get broken. Other than that, is should be more fun to bash than a buggy. But for my bashing chores, I would take a Savage over a Hellfire any day.

None of this is to say that MTs are a better choice than buggies for bashing. It depends on your style of bashing. If you have no desire to do the things a buggy can't do, get a buggy.