[imported_Dukk]

I'm just trying to get back into electric racing. Being a Stadium Truck kind of guy I picked up an RC10 T4. With a brushless motor setup I'm in over $400 easy. For half that one could look at the HPI eFirestorm RTR - it looks like it could be a capable performer and is available for about $229.

My next venture is 4wd buggy. The local favourites are the Associated B44 and the Kyosho Lazer ZX-5. I'm leaning towards the Kyosho as it comes in at ~$239 as a capable RTR and then if one gets serious they can get the SP suspension upgrade ($90 or so) and go brushless.

[Narly1]

Nickjj, seeing as you say you have past experience with RC vehicles, I would say that looking at used items are not out of the question.

For most new people just getting started it's too easy to make a bad used purchase, your experience makes you the exception to the rule....

I am tending towards the stadium truck platform. They are a bit more rugged than the buggies and are moderately capable for casual running (aka "bashing").

If the end goal is racing, get out to your local track to ask questions and see what everyone else is running.

Good luck!

Narly1

[nickjj]

I have been scouring the for sale items in all the forums and there have been some pretty good setups for sale. I myself have had good luck in buying stuff used so I'm not opposed to it.

At the end of the day it's not necesarily about the money I've saved but how much my son can learn from having his own vehicle to maintain. I think also by exposing him and myself to a more structured driving environment like Fastcats or Sids he will hopefully want to do more driving. Don't get me wrong we do our fair share of bashing but I want him to understand the maintenance and cost of this hobby for himself. It's too easy for me to fix and pay for everything, cause i would just do it.

Anyways I'm leaning toward an Associated buggy or truggy. it seems there are a lot of parts readily available kicking around.

[Gump]

I would suggest heading down to sids raceway to check out the action. You'll be able to see what popular classes are and the range of driver skills within each class. that should help you decide on what class to chose.
Above, you mentioned 'ultimately brushless/lipo'... I say forget the 'ultimately' part and go with it right off the bat. brushless motors have next to zero maintainance and are becoming more and more popular. they're also bullet proof. lipo batterys have massive capacity, certain models can be charged up to 2c trackside and they don't suffer the ill effects that modern nimh cells do in terms of lost capacity and the amount of times you can recharge them in one day. The brushless controllers such as the mamba from castle creations can be custom set-up on your computer from tame to insane. Well worth the investment.

[Savage-guy]

Depending on your son's age. You should buy a new kit just so he has an idea how the car works mechanically. It is also a learning tool so when a part breaks he is not always running to you to fix it. He'll recall how it was put together or refer to the manual. On the plus side that is always fun when a father and son have that time together building something that they both enjoy. I remember my old man helping me build my first car.

That there is just my 2 cents. Plus Sids has a novice class in the summer points series. Which would great for your son to join in on. A lot of great drivers up and coming to watch out for in this class.

[nickjj]

I headed on down to Fastcats to check out some of the indoor offroad action on Thursday night. I also picked up the new Team Losi Speed T RTR for my son.

Thanks to John and all the guys I was speaking with. They are a great group, willing to share all their knowledge.

The Speed T looks like a pretty good starter with a DSM controller and full brushless power. Price very reasonable for what you get out of the box. We'll see how the suspension holds up but I've seen some videos on the web of guys beating up the truck something fierce.

[Guest]

Thanks great.

Thanks again for the marshal job

[hillbillyracingteam]

You want some good trucks then I can tell you some good samples of trucks you should look at.Here we go I think you should look at the team Associated t4 spec truck, team Losi xxx-t, Sportwerks rc Raven ST truck , or the sportwerks rc raven bx buggy, the Traxxas Rustler the new one with the 12t that goes 35+ stock,thoes are the best trucks to start with or to race with. Now with the trucks like duratrax, and xmt do not buy theos because they are not as durable as the bands that I listed up there, I think the best choices to go with a team Associated t4 spec truck , a team Losi xxx-t truck, and the Sportwerks rc Raven ST truck or the sportwerks Raven bx buggy and the last one is the Traxxas Rustler the new one with the 12t motor that goes 35+ right out of the box.And have a nice day sir.

[nickjj]

Thanks for all the great advice.
We've settled on the Losi chassis for both of us. Since we are both starting out in electric the RTR Speed-T offer us the best starting point with a brushless motor and easy to program esc with the Quick Programming Card. It also comes with a DSM system.

The chassis is basically a XXXT and all the parts are compatible. I was able to get new shocks and change the locking diff to a ball diff with minimal expense. I'm going to try the current shock mounts and see how they work otherwise I can install the XXXT ones. All the graphite components will also fit.

I've been really busy with work and baseball lately but hope to be out to Fastcats this Saturday to give the trucks their first taste of the offroad. Any advice for a newbie (well at least to an indoor facility) showing up to run for the first time?

[Gump]

Yeah - HAVE FUN. Thats all you'll need when you go to fastcats!