umm...towerhobbies.com has alot of stuff and pretty good prices...or you can look around on the for sale forum here to try and get a deal on a used car.
i got my car used off ebay...although your taking a risk whether its gonna work or not, you can get great prices there.
"bashing" is what we call it when you just mess around and generally bash your RC into things (not on purpose in most cases)
the best place to answer these questions is your LHS or Local Hobby Shop. The people at your hobby shop can tell you if there is a local track around. Racing is a lot of fun. You want to make sure you buy an RC that is a similar class to what your local track races. Your LHS can also tell you what parts they stock. RC cars and trucks do break. When they break, you will be bummed. If you can get the parts locally to fix it, all the better.
Search for a hobby shop that's local in your area and tell the people that work there that you want to get in the hobby. Ask about local tracks. Don't make an rash choices and leave with an RC the first visit. Come back here and we can discuss what the LHS told you.