tree95z

I just called my local hobby shop and asked for a price on a Traxxas Rustler RTR w/ Radio and ESC with batteries and everything else to run it and I got a quote around $190... is that high?

Because I went onto Tower Hobbies website and got everything I need for $149... Just curious... Maybe tower hobbies doesn't have as good stuff or something but just seeing if anyone had any input on this...

foolio

iTrader: (3)

Tower Hobbies surely sells the truck in much higher volume than your local hobby shop so they can buy, and sell, at lower prices. However, keep a couple of things in mind.

1. You are going to have to pay shipping.
2. Your LHS has to charge sales tax
3. Your LHS might be willing to come down a little to get closer to Tower's price.
4. Hopefully your LHS will provide you with some support more willingly if you buy it there. Some charge for help. If you buy it from them, it might be included.
5. You should support the LHS. It's in your best interest. What if they go out of business and now you have to order everything? In the end it could cost you more.

I bought an Associated T4 Team for my girlfriend's brother for Christmas and my LHS had the price at 185 as opposed to the 155 I could get it for online. They came down to 160 and threw in a couple practice coupons which didn't cost them anything. It was a $20 value to me. You could sat that brought the cost of the truck down to 140. You might try to make a deal like that if they have a track.

Don't sell short your LHS for 20 or 30 bucks savings. It's not like this is an everyday purchase. They will appreciate you more and it won't hurt Tower at all.

Lastly, and this might just be me, but I love my local track and I would feel bad about not buying from them just to save a few bucks.

Platinum_Racing

A quality charger and radio are a must. I would say that because there are still hop ups to buy (The RPM bearing carriers and ball bearings for the wheels are a definate must, don't even bother running the truck without them. The bushings are a joke, as the LHS, they'll tell you the same thing). The battery they will sell you for a total of $190 will suck compared to a nice side X side GP3300 pack. It doesn't even need to be matched, but it still helps to have a nice battery. A nice peak charger with some adjustability to it is also a great idea. We have 3 Rustlers here, along with 2 E-MAXX's, 2 Stampede's, a Bandit, a Street Sport, and a Nitro Buggy... in short, we like Traxxas cars. The thing you need to know is; they aren't really race bred vehicles. If you are buying this car because you want to race at a local track, don't get it. It's a basher, meaning it's heavy duty, brawny, and strong. It isn't as nimble and lightweight as the racers out there, but it will definatly hold up to a pounding. We race at our track, and either you have a Losi or an Associated or you don't race at all. Out of my own personal collection of 24 R/C cars, 6 are Traxxas'. Go to www.TeamPlatinumRacing.com/Rides.html to check some of them out. I can tell you some modifications that you should get if you want, but I'll save that for later.

xlgraphicspro

iTrader: (5)

Also remember, buying local helps support the hobby, because if they go out of buisness, you will have to mail order parts if they ever get broken, creating down time untill you are able to run again. plus the mark up on rc car kits is very miniscule

Also most hobby shops are responsible for keeping rack tracks open, so if one dies, so will the other.

If you ask me, it's worth the extra bucks, plus they are more willing to help answer questions and trouble shoot problems if they know your a loyal customer. I know because I work at a Hobby Town USA.

tree95z

You guys are right, that's what I'm going to do.

Also, does that 3300 battery have longer run time? I still don't quite understand the purpose of the higher batteries. Don't know much about it all yet...

foolio

iTrader: (3)

The higher the mah, the longer the run time to put it simply. Don't forget though, the higher the mah, the longer the charge time too.

tree95z

Sweet, I'll probably end up getting several batteries so I can determine how long I want to play :-P