need 4 speed

im a noob and i was wondering wat are some of the pros and cons of buying used and new nitro cars?

Doahh

used theres the chance of being abused...
used is abused you know...

Timmahh

the whole nitro learning curve is a factor regardless of new or used. dont count out electric for your first rc. they offer a bit more simplicity which i think a nub will get more enjoyment out of compared to some of the headaches and fustration of nitro. plus some can be really good cars with a bit of motor upgrades.
Timmahh

need 4 speed

this will be my second r/c car i had electric xxx-t

Timmahh

then that will help for sure.
Timmahh

need 4 speed

so wich would u sugest is it worth the extra money for a new rc not a used1?

Timmahh

i went new, only becuze i being new, i would get a fresh experience and not a possible problem.
Timmahh

Doahh

Gewt a new car... I bought used and it was the worst experience ever... Why I run purley electric right now... maybe later I will go nitro again... maybe

GRANT ED

I suggest you get a new car too. When you are more experienced then a 2nd hand car (at the right price) will be ok as you be able to fix the problems it will no doubt have easier.

BAMF90

My Feedback: (1)

Both of my RCs right now I bought were used. The first one I bought was a Revo, and the only problem it had when I bought it was that it had stripped reverse gears, but I did the FOC to eliminate that anyways. The next one I got was actually my dad's. It was an HPI Nitro RS4 RTR3. The only problem it had was missing cooling head screws(easy fix), and a cracked header(also not too hard to fix). Now, the RS4 is starting to lose compression though, so I am going to buy an OS .18 CV-RX. I suggest you buy NEW, but if you do get used, make sure you know the guy some before you buy whatever it is he has.

need 4 speed

ok so just by new any other sujestions?

slodsm

My Feedback: (1)

Just look into the sellers reputation. I have bought 3 of my 40+ cars used and the last one I bought (on here) was in probably better condition than you would get out of a new car and I got a wicked deal.

I have always had good luck with the ones I have bought because I do a lot of looking into the sellers history and if he has allt he appropriate feedback saying he sells what he is advertising, you really have nothing to worry about.

mkincy

a new car is always new so you know there shouldn't be any problems. but ive gotten some great deals on used cars lately.
so it kind of depends on who is selling and why. i would never buy a used car that i couldn't see in person before i bought it.
but if you can get a used r/c from someone in your area that you can test before you buy you may come out with a much better deal than you could with a new car. for instance just the other day i bought a used xray xb8 from a sponsered racer in my area, the guy gets a new car for free every season. so he replaced literaly every part on the car including the chasis, he also gave me about 200$ worth of spares, 5 sets of brand new tires and wheels, 2 airtronics servo's that cost $130 each and were freshly rebuilt by airtronics.
and i got all of it from him for just $400. so my point is there are great deals to be had, you just have to find the right one.
but as the other folks have said, its always safer to buy new.

Roscco

If you can afford to buy new, do it. I'm not saying buying used is a bad idea but i've read plenty of horror stories from people who have bought used cars with various problems or have turned up far from described. Unless you know the seller i'd rather have the piece of mind and factory support you get with a new purchase.

need 4 speed

wat if i met the person on rcu would that make then more reliable (in the cars mainance sence) than off of say ebay?

Roscco

Where as i'd love to say yes to this as we're a community full of friendly informative people, i'm sure there are a few people who've been stung from a few distasteful members here[].

Check out the persons profile, look how often they post and look at the content of their posts (i think you can tell A LOT from the way a person writes as well as what they write). I'm not saying this is fool proof, but if someone is a regular user and respected with the forums i myself would expect things to go well. On the other hand if someone has only a couple of infrequent posts and a shady (of the truck, not them, i look really dodgy) photo i'd walk away.

And as for maintanence, again i'd look towards their posts and see if they know what their talking about. If your buying a Revo, don't buy it from someone who insists its made by Kyosho

Good luck with what ever you decide to do though

johnchristine375

can you please tell me the drawbacks of purchasing a used car. Ivisited this site http://www.mecarz.com/ and found it good! Can you please let me know about it?

DaveG55

On buying used rc's...
Advantages
* Lower initial cost - often 1/2 or less
* Often have upgrades installed already
* Often have accessories and spare parts included - a further savings
* Can often have the "new car bugs" worked out already - but you cannot count on this.
* You know it's history
* It will have a warranty and usually excelent customer support - rc companies are some of the absolute best when it comes to customer service

Disadvantages
* ALWAYS a gamble - this is the bottom line and always comes down to this. To paraphrase Dirty Harry "How lucky do you feel?"
* You never know the full, true condition of a vehicle. They often have hidden problems that even the seller may not know about.
* Sellers not always honest - either about the car or in their dealings
* Newbs don't usually have the experience or skills to properly evaluate a used vehicle - if it can be handled/tested
* Almost never in a "perfect" or like-new condition - no matter how it's advertised
* No guarentees what-so-ever - good or bad, what you buy is what you get


I always reccomend that a newb, especially a nitro newb, buy new. There is already enough of a learning curve that someone new to nitro will have to face and overcome without having to diagnose and fix someone else's problems/mistakes.
IMHO, Traxxas are the best vehicles for a newb to look at. A lot of people don't like Traxxas but they make vehicles targeted to new comers, have what may arguably be the best customer service and support in the industry and really make a better vehicle that people give them credit for.

Airbus 9e

If you want a used car in order to save money, make sure the car you're looking to buy has good support as far as manuals and original manufacturer replacement parts...I think for a new RCer, getting a used car and pulling it apart to make repairs is a valuable lesson and just another part of the fun....

I never bought a ready to run car till my Duratrax Axis in 2001....from 1987 to that point in time, any car I bought was a kit, or a conversion. Not many RC companies made dirt oval cars back then..

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

here's my 2 cents... I normally buy used and just make sure the seller has a good reputation. almost every car/truck/buggy I have ever owned I bought used and rebuilt. the benefit to this IMHO is that through rebuilding I get the unique advantage of knowing every inch of the vehicle which gives me an advantage when troubleshooting issues that can arise being tha I know every inch of my ride. Don't get me wrong I have had at least one bad experience where I ended up wasting my money going the used route, but that was when I was new to things and didn't quite know what I was looking for. Most recently (just to show that New doesn't mean flawless) I bought the Losi 8ight-T 2.0 RTR,, and have spent more time looking at it due to issues right out of the box stripped shock end, front engine bearing had a bad seal, and a leaking rear shock too.

The upside to a new vehicle like a Losi is that most name brands support their products to the ends of the earth and will bend over backwards to make sure you are happy, which has been my experience with both Losi and Traxxas as well.

the upside to a used vehicle is that once in awhile you find the total diamond in the rough as is the case with my Hyper 7 which I scored initially for 80 bucks, and got a pile of parts and a partially assembled chassis that turned out to include every race upgrade available for the Hyper 7...

there are pros and cons anyway you look at it. the best thing to do is just ask questions...

As far as the whole electric/nitro debate... electrics are fun toys, nitros are fun vehicles I like the realism of a nitro it is like a real car IMHO, Electrics with their all their insanity with power and speed, just don't thrill me with that quiet wheeee versus theat loud BWAAAAAARRRRRRR![sm=punching.gif]

army2000ng

My Feedback: (3)

Does anyone know where I can find parts forLotus Elise RallySport 1/6 Scale 4 WD RTR RC Nitro Car?I have searched the web and found 0 help.

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

you will love that car with that engine!!! My buddy just bought a .18 TZ for the RS4 Evo I sold hiom, and keeps ripping the tires right off

Chris_RC

Hahahahaha!!!! You guys are funny. This person posts a thread about new or used rc cars 3 years ago, then this guy from Califonia posts about buying new or used REAL cars. Then 3 people type up a big ol' long response. Seems as some of you can't read dates very well.

DaveG55

Well, I admit it got me!
Maybe if I had actually looked at his link instead of ASSuming it was rc related I would not have been the butt of your humor

Oh well, no harm in trying to help someone and I got used to sometimes looking like a fool long ago...[:@]

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

eh oh well, sometimes the old threads can answer newer questions regardless of when they were posted...