NitroPaul

Hi guys, I have a friend who wants to get into 1/8 scale buggies and he's on a tight budget. He is considering the HSP Bazooka or HSP Camper. Can anyone give opinions on either. It will be his first buggy and doesnt want to outlay heaps of coin on his first one.
Or is there another brand in that price range thats just as good?

thanks in advance

ozziii

Get something a bit better in quality & it will normally cost less & perform better in the long run. There's some good rtr buggies for good prices that would be a much better choice, like losi, JQ Products, kyosho etc, they might cost a little more but its well worth it.

Zloyd

Im on a tight budget myself looking at the Kyosho DBX for something to fool around with get a start.

NitroPaul

I hear what your saying mate. I jumped straight into an mp9 and i love it. My mate is just wanting to buy something cheap to see if he will like the hobby first. Then upgrade later down the track if/when funds permit.
There seems to be plenty of HSP parts available on ebay etc.

NitroPaul

Not sure im familiar with that buggy. Is it 1/8th scale?

imrob

iTrader: (7)

you know if you looking for something cheap i would try to get a roller of here. there are plenty of people selling used roller like hotbodies d8 and losi 2.0 right now under $ 200 i just seen one for like 175 for almost a car and half. might be worth a check sometimes buying used you can win big time cause all the upgraded parts will be on there. but you have to take into consideration you might have to changes some axle or bearing. or worst case you get a guy that dont take of it and end up with his garbage car. So look at there rating and read them that will let you know. then go and check his post that he put up and see if he had a major trouble with what he is selling. i have got like 3 used car here and not one have i been mad at the seller cause i looked and asked question and for pic that i wanted. if they dont send you a pic that a big flag to me.

Hoese37

iTrader: (5)

Pay a little more now, spend a lot less later.

wombat

iTrader: (31)

Seems logical - despite being a low quality car in comparison to other big brand quality names, the fortunate thing is that there are a ton of spares available for the HSP's online and in stores if something breaks. (Assume you're in Australia as well, where HSP seems to be the most prolific entry rc car). They can be had on ebay (through auction-style listings) for just a touch over $200 all day any day.

You could also look into a Thunder Tiger EB-4 S2 Pro RTR 4WD Nitro Buggy. They go for AUD$280-$300 on ebay from an Australian retailer, and are decent quality. Parts might be harder to source than the HSP, but would be much better in every aspect for around $50-80 more than an HSP. Cars like the kyo DBX, JQ rtr etc will be upwards of AUD$420 (plus all the extra bits you need to run the things).

It would be the route I would personally go for if your mate wants to go the 'suck it a see' approach to see if it's a hobby that he wants to get into and it tickles his fancy... it will give him a taste of what it's like.

I can see what other people are saying re: spend more now on a decent brand name; but there's nothing worse than outlaying a ton of cash on this hobby only to find out it's not for you or you get bored of it real quick and the car ends up being a dead-weight in the shed gathering dust after only a couple of outings. It's happened to a couple of mates of mine and my brother who just got bored of it after a short period after being so desperate to give it a crack. The 2nd hand re-sale price for cheaper end used rc cars (in particular nitro) is frankly sad....and is just lost/wasted money which can be annoying as a result if you spent big bucks ($400 plus) to start with only to find out it's not for you.

You could go 2nd hand straight off the bat to get something better in terms of quality, but there's the trade off of used wear items together with the unknown condition of nitro engines despite people's claims ("it's only done 2 tanks" etc etc) - can be a bit of a gamble if you can't see the car personally and only buying off the forum or ebay from a private seller sight-unseen (bar photos)

Hope this helps

Good luck