About to take the plunge.

[themuddaload]

So I'm planning on buying myself a nitro RC car of some description, likely a stadium truck.

There are a couple of questions I would like to ask, and this looks like a relatively active forum.

I have found someone that is looking to sell their used (yes I know, not the best idea to buy one from someone you don't know) Traxxas Jato 3.3.

I plan on asking the guy about what he did to break it in, general questions about maintenance (whether or not he used after run oil, cleaned the filter, etc) and try to figure out how bad he beat it.

What all should I do to try to figure out what condition the motor is in? about how much resistance should I get while turning the fly wheel?

The guy is selling it for $200, and says hes open for offers, and my thinking is that even if I end up having to buy a new motor, I would still have a working car for cheaper than buying a new one.

General input would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

---------- Post added at 5:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 5:56 PM ----------

Oh, and if the jato turns out to be a flop, I'm thinking I might get a redcat vehicle, since they seem like a lot of bang per buck, and a cheap way for me to get into nitro rc.

The reviews on them are extremely mixed, some people saying they have had great success, and ran them for years, while others say they are complete garbage. Are they as bad as some say?

 

[HPI-Killer]

No no, the first thing that wont help you, is a cheap ticket into the hobby. If you do, you will end up disapointed. Plenty of others will tell you as well to spend that extra buck and do it right.

Personally, I love my Jato, very very fast, and I just broke her in.

Welcome to RCNT.

 

[Eli3635]

I bought my first nitro rc used trying to save money not knowing much it was the first major mistake I made personally in rc's. It was a t maxx that I never got running right I had too sell and I spent the extra money and bought a new one. I went from miserable to stoked!! Buy a new jato, u will be happier in the long run

 

[joshman1204]

Buying used is great for people with experience but is a recipe for disaster for a newb. Problem is you dont know what your starting with and without experience you wont know if you are doing something wrong or if there is something fundamentally wrong with the truck. I can't say anything good or bad about the redcat but I will say if you are worried about the initial cost of the truck then this may not be the hobby for you. The initial cost is only a very small amount of what you are going to spend over the next couple of months if you buy a nitro truck.

I would go to your LHS and see what they sell and stock. There is nothing worse than having a truck that you can't buy anything for local. If you are running and break a $2 part and have to wait a week to get it that just sucks when you could have paid $4 for it at the LHS and been running again in a few hours.

 

[bubbadee5]

What ever you do stay away from the brand exceed and nitrorcx.com

 

[hamz9561]

I would not recommend a Traxxas Jato as a first vehicle, but would instead recommend the Traxxas Rustler since it's a bit more robust.

 

[dub c]

ask for him to start it. If he is unable to start it on the spot, assume the engine is toast and walk away.

 

[srusinek]

It's not so much the engine that you have to worry about. You have the electronics as well. The buyer could start it and run it in front of you but what if the radio glitches at a long distance? There's just too much risk in buying used and the rate for people getting burned on a used rc is very high. You could get a rustler as mentioned above or a team associated rc10gt2 or a firestorm by hpi and you're only talking 300 for the truck. You also have to buy support gear like a glow plug warmer, batteries, charger if need be, fuel bottle and some basic hand tools. Good luck and welcome to the site.

 

[Mn Monster]

it's a 50/50 gamble when you buy used. sometimes you get a great deal on a great ride and other times you get a dud! either way used or new, tear it down so you know how it goes back together, it's a great way to learn how to work on these nitro's. as for the redcat......you get what you pay for. and there is not much of an support/aftermarket line for the redcats. regardless of what you do, there is nothing cheap about the great world of RC. it's a hobby that requires cash to play and cash to fix. good luck!

 

[sur3fir3]

ask for him to start it. If he is unable to start it on the spot, assume the engine is toast and walk away.

^ +1 make sure you can drive it and everything works as well. If he comes with an excuse like no batteries or nitro, it wouldnt hurt to pick any of those items up before you purchase your first nitro.

 

[themuddaload]

Yeah I was planning to make the guy start it so we can run it some before we talk money. Also planned to ask him how you break them in just to see what his response is (oh god please not gas-er-up-an-give-er-hell). He said it just needs AA batteries, so I'm bringing those.

 

[mrbones]

If you are going to pay $200 for a 3.3 Jato, it should be in excellent condition or it is not worth $200. So you buy the car for $200. You find out you need a sleeve and piston. That's $50. This doesn't even include all the little stuff you will need. By the time you finally get it all set up you've spent $300 and you could have bought a new one for $400. You might not even like the Jato. I've heard that it's hard to control because it has so much power and is recommended for more experienced drivers. Doesn't sound to me like a good choice for your first nitro. Listen to the posts from the other guys and think about your options. I have about 10 nitros, 1 or 2 of which I don't really like but I've spent so much $$$ on them that they probably belong to me for ever.

 

[SchrodeMode]

Run it enough to get the engine warmed up, and then have him shut it down and start it back up. A dying engine will still start, but as soon as it hits operating temps and the metals expands, it stalls and has to cool down before it starts again