Recommended Models For A Middle Aged Guy

[easy rider]

I recently decided to invest the necessary time to start a R/C car hobby. I’m in my late 40s, but my maturity level is lagging far behind. My R/C experience is limited to drones, which I’m pretty good with and should transfer to some extent to R/C cars. BTW, watching videos of “bashing”, the R/C cars can take an unreal beating (as seen from the perspective of a drone pilot).

Which brings me to my search for a first R/C car. I spent a lot of my life racing dirtbikes as an amateur. I still ride my dirtbike. I have horses. I ride those too. I live on acreage, with pasture and dirt. I want something exhilarating that will be fun to fool around with and help launch me toward R/C competition… eventually. I’m looking for something durable. Cost isn’t really an up-front factor. The accessories & repairs/mods will cost more than the initial vehicle expense.

Initially I pinged the Traxxas Rustler. Then some research led me to the Traxxas Maxx, which is considered to be much more durable. Here is where my naivety really shows. Today I came across the Arrma Quake, which is relatively inexpensive, but seems bombproof and exceptionally quick. I never heard of the brand before, but it is clearly much higher quality than equivalent Traxxas models, with beefier components, more robust gears, and a bigger motor.

For a first “big-boy” car, for a mature adult with a high adrenaline threshold, some land, and no real budget restrictions, does the Arrma Quake make sense over the Traxxas Maxx? Are there any other models to explore? I’d prefer to stay relativelt mainstream.

Thank you in advance.

Of those two, buy the maxx

 

[easy rider]

1/8 scale is clearly a favorite for durability. Would you say the bigger you go , the more durable an RC is? Example : would a 1/5 scale generally be more durable than a 1/8 scale? Or does it vary?

The Xmaxx is tough as nails. No first hand experience on any other 1/5 rc. However, from about 3000 hours of research, it’s my belief no one makes a 1/5 car that will come close to its durability.


But, for straight durability, the 1/8 sledge has got to be at the top of the list. And, it’s super duper fun to drive. It’ll get on down the road too. My guess is it’s going to be 8-10 mph faster than the maxx. And, the maxx is not slow by any means.

 

[WutUp Clegg]

Muchos Gracias for all the info! I’m pretty handy, and do all my own maintenance on dirtbikes, ATVs, tractors, etc. I also handload ammo, which requires a lot of attention to detail. Honestly, as I get older shooting gets boring and I only really do it to get brass to handload, which is the more exciting part.

I do prefer the buy-once-cry-once philosophy, but there is a performance threshold I feel a beginner just has no business starting at. The $800 thread you linked seems especially promising.

What dirt bikes and ATV's do you have?

 

[CC1999]

Trying to picture the use case, being you have land and horses etc.
I am picturing a use case involving less groomed terrain, or not short cut lawn or dirt track.
I prefer my larger RCs like my X-MAXX for use on the back of my property where I get into more rough rugged terrain.

Another one I like is the Losi LMT 2.0.