Need help/advice

[LSUDJB13]

I’m pretty new to RC cars. I played with them as a kid but they were just like the ones you get at Walmart. My 9 year old has shown interest in the hobby so I’m for sure going to support that. We’ve looked at different types and he really likes buggies. I’m looking for something we could both have fun playing with, something that you can upgrade as things break and something $300 or under. What would you guys recommend? I’m open to any brands. Let me know what you guys think!

 

[Heisenburg]

Welcome. Things to consider are 2 wheel drive versus 4 wheel drive, on road or off road, nitro or electric power, ect. If you are keeping to a $300 budget, make sure your purchased vehicle includes motor, electrics, battery, as some kits may be missing these things. I have seen "Ready to run" kits come without a battery or charger. Answering these questions will help us narrow down a good vehicle to start with.
I recommend electric, less time tuning and cleaning, more time for fun. 2 wheel drives tend to be easier and cheaper to fix.

 

[LSUDJB13]

Oh man I completely forgot about all that stuff. I’d like off road, for sure electric. I’d like something ready to run vs a kit right now since I’m learning. I’d really like to get a kit later on down the road though. I’m open to either 2 or 4 wheel drive.

 

[Heisenburg]

I only know Traxxas from experience. A 2wd Stampede with brushed motor will run you about $160 USD, $35 each for a couple of Nihm batteries, an Traxxas ID charger that charges Nihm and Lipo batteries (for when you're ready for brushless motor and Lipo power) for $50.

 

[tntpoof]

1 last thing scale?He picked the hardest rc to master besides a submarine.lol lc racing the 1/16 and 1/10

 

[subaru4x4]

Being my first year in the hobby as well, I’d add that you’ll want to pick a brand that has a good amount of availability for aftermarket parts. Traxxas, Arrma both have good choices under $300. Assuming you’re looking at 1/10 scale. I have a couple redcats and they aren’t bad either.

 

[biggman100]

I’m pretty new to RC cars. I played with them as a kid but they were just like the ones you get at Walmart. My 9 year old has shown interest in the hobby so I’m for sure going to support that. We’ve looked at different types and he really likes buggies. I’m looking for something we could both have fun playing with, something that you can upgrade as things break and something $300 or under. What would you guys recommend? I’m open to any brands. Let me know what you guys think!

There are a ton of options, but, one question i didnt really see addressed is, brushed or brushless? For brushed, there are choices from Redcat for right around $150, but it looks like a lot of Redcat stuff is currently out of stock or backordered. Tornado (4WD) is the cheapest buggy they make. You can also get the same buggy from Exceed RC, as both Redcat and Exceed are HSP rebrands, which means that parts are available from not only Redcat, but you can also use Exceed RC and HSP parts on them. There are tons of parts and upgrades on eBay and Amazon. For around the $230 mark, you can get a brushed Typhon (4WD, my first choice for a beginner buggy), and parts are pretty easy to come by. There is also DHK Hobby Wolf 2 (4WD), and Raz-R 2 (4WD) at under $200, but, in the states, the cars and parts can only be gotten on eBay or through RC Hobby Explosion (DHK cars are extremely durable, but, do have a couple odd quirks, such as screws on each end of the driveshaft that sometimes comes loose, which then causes the gears to come loose. I usually just LocTite the screws before i run them, but that means learning how the car comes apart). DHK also makes a 2WD drive buggy/truggy called the Cage-R. If you can find them, there is also the IMX buggy (4WD), but, they can only be found either on eBay, or directly from IMX. There are a few on eBay for less than $100, and they are under $200 direct from IMX. The ones on eBay needs a new battery though, because they have sat in his warehouse for over a year. The Kyosho Dirt Hog (4WD, can be hard to find at times though) is under $250. There are 2 versions, the Dirt Hog, and the Dirt Hog T2. There is also the ECX Amp DB, but that is 2WD, and can only be gotten in store ($140, has a few upgrades available).

For the $300 mark, there are options from Arrma (although, they are a little over $300), the Team Associated Reflex DB10 2WD at $300, and not much else i know of that isnt a kit.

All of the ones i listed are 1/8TH-1/10TH scale. There is also a company called WLToys, but i know nothing about them, even though some seem to really like them, but they are 1/12TH or smaller. Anything from Tamiya is a kit, and has to be fully built.

 

[Guillaume]

Arrma definitely has great and robust RTR products available for below $300.

but if you don’t mind going below a smaller scale than 1/10th you can also find really cool and high quality products like Kyosho MiniZ or Losi mini 8ight.

I recommend you to look for the AMain video called “Top 10 RC RTR Cars under $200”

You can also go on websites like Amainhobbies or Absolutehobbyz and use their filters (“RTR”, “<$300”) to see what they have in stock.

 

[LSUDJB13]

Thanks for all the advice. I’ve been watching a lot of videos from amain and rc_diveronline. I’m thinking really hard about the arrma typhon 3s or the traaxas bandit. I haven’t had a chance to look in to redcat yet but I’m about to check them out now. I’m pretty pumped to get started!