You can upgrade any car to newer electronics (ESC, motor, servo, receiver), but, can the car handle upgrades is the bigger question. See my response on your other post. The chassis actually looks kind of like an old RC10 from Team Associated, but, as I've never owned one, and only ever seen a couple in person, and a bunch in pics, I'm not 100% sure of that.
Unfortunately, a lot of money is subjective. You can replace the motor and ESC with newer electronics, that would run anywhere from roughly $30 to well over $100. On the lower end, with everything i would replace just to make it reliable, you are looking at right around $70. That would consist of a HobbyWing WP-1060 ESC-$16 or so on eBay, Surpass Hobby 15T motor-$15-$20 on eBay, and, i would get rid of the original AM radio system, and replace it with a DumboRC set up. which runs right around $30 on eBay or Amazon. The bigger issue is that the RC10 is discontinued, and I'm not sure what parts, if any, are available. There seems to be a decent following for them though, so some of the guys more familiar with them might have more advice there.
5oAAOSwh6Vbhv36&LH_BIN=1 (waterproof, fairly durable, easy to connect and mount)
You could, but, as old as the motor is, once you replace the ESC, the motor may not last through a single battery. Brushed motors need maintenance, and if its been sitting for a long time, could have gotten moisture in it, or could have been wore out before it was put aside. As for the radio, as long as it still controls the car, you can use it, but, being that its an old AM system, is way more susceptible to interference, which could cause anything from intermittent running, to the car outright taking off. Newer radios and receivers also have fail safe systems, so that if the car gets out of range, it will just roll to a stop, but, with that older AM system, it wont have that feature. Most of the time the fail-safe isnt important, but, in the case of AM, could be if the car gets far enough away and then gets a signal from another source. The new 2.4GHZ stuff makes it nearly impossible for interference. The real problem with the car is its age. You dont want to go overboard updating it, only to have it work once and break some part that is no longer available. Unfortunately, hobby grade RC stuff typically means money will be spent somewhere. My honest recommendation, especially if you arent sure if they will even continue to be interested, would be to get a cheap wal-mart car (you can get them for as little as $15, and as high as $100, sometimes a little more), and see how they are with that. The car you have could honestly become a major money pit (especially if it turnsout to need a bunch of upgrades), or, if parts arent available, could be a total loss. I'm not trying to dissuade you, just letting you know what you might be in for.
As i have never owned one, the best i can do is some general tips. I will point a couple guys that do know Associated stuff better to this thread, but, for now, the biggest things to look for is any binding in the drivetrain and steering, check the suspension to make sure it moves smoothly, see if anything is loose, such as the wheels and hubs, look for loose fasteners. As for batteries, look for 7.2V NIMH batteries. You can find them on eBay and Amazon, but, a couple things to look out for are MAH rating ( for example, the battery might say 1300MAH, or 2200 MAH, and can go up to 5000MAH and possibly higher), but the lower that number, the quicker the battery discharges. NIMH batteries can be fairly cheap, and fairly expensive. You will also need a charger for it, but, the cheaper the charger, the longer it takes to charge the battery. Some of the ultra cheap chargers, like the ones that sometimes come with the battery, can take up to 8 hours to charge, and the battery might last 20 minutes.
Is the charger a NI-CD only charger? If so, it might charge a newer NIMH, or it might not. Is there a name, or any specs on the charger? Could you add a pic of it?
It is a Model Craft MFG. Pro-Tech DC703. According to what little i could find about it, it wont charge NIMH batteries properly, only NI-CD, which arent easy to find. I did find this one: https://www.amazon.com/Volt-NiCd-Ba...ld=1&keywords=7.2v+nicd&qid=1607666887&sr=8-6
I thought it was white because of the dust, It is probably Acosiated.
