I'd start by figuring out what you want to do and where you want to run (track, driveway, living room or cornfield). Then you can decide what scale and type of car/truck will be best suited for you.
1/32 to 1/18 scale are the only options for your living room, but would be way too small for anything bigger than a driveway.
If there's a local track and you might want to race, check it out, ask if you can drive a few different cars there and one of them will 'speak' to you and you'll just know what you need to get.
Buy the best equipment you can afford up front. It's frustrating to 'save' money on cheap chargers, batteries, servos etc only to replace them almost immediately.
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FTB4, XXX4G+, ZRB1, XXXS-VTA
Supporting my LHS:wwnh.net
I race electrics, why am I always pitting for nitro's?
First of all i agree with RC Dad..... First figure out where you are going to be running your car. Like pavement, dirt or just your front lawn. Keep in mind that if you do just "bash" in your neighborhood. That some people might get upset if you have a nitro powered car. The noise can be loud so just keep that in mind. Then figure out if you want to run nitro or electric... there is a touchy subject. But there are pro's and con's to both. I suggest electric first to get a handle on just driving the car and then go from there. My first rc car was a nitro buggy and fortunately I had help from a local track/people. If I didn't I would have probably given up quickly. So if there is a local track that can be a huge help. Talk to the people there and see what they are running. Ask questions and maybe you will decide if that is right for you or not.
Lastly I do agree to get the best equipment you can afford. Many of the RTR's (ready-to-run's) cars will have cheaply made equipment on them to bring the cost down. But then you end of replacing parts, servo's etc. sooner than later to be able to keep the car in one piece. That same thing happened to me with my first car the nitro buggy. So you are better off getting the best you can afford and saving yourself the hassle. Good luck with your first r/c purchase and please keep us posted! This is a great forum with ton's of help and nice people.
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Losi 8ight 2.0 buggy
E-Revo BL edition
Slash Spec
**In the works ,converting my 8ight 2.0 to brushless. Running the MMM 2200kv combo. 4s 5000mah 25 & 30c batts. RC Product designs EL8 ultimate conversion kit.**
RCRacer,
I was in your shoes about a month ago and I got some great advice from people on this forum. I wanted something I could both race and bash off-road to learn with as a newbie. I checked with the track I race at and they offer a stock Slash class and a mod Slash class as well as three levels of buggies, 3 levels of truck and mod 4x4. The stock Slash class at the track by me is strictly for Slashes so I picked up a Slash as it is very durable for bashing and I can run it in the stock Slash class at my track. So if you plan to race at all make sure you are starting with a vehicle that has a class at your local track.
I was pretty sure I would continue in the hobby so I started with Lipo batteries and charger from the start and ordered an aftermarket LVA (low voltage alarm) as the Slash stock ESC (electronic speed control) does not have a LVC (low voltage cutoff) to protect the battery from being discharged too low. I went with Lipo's because the technology seems to be moving away from the Nimh & Nicad batteries plus other benefits of Lipos.
This has allowed me to get into the hobby for about $360. Sorry for the long ramble, but I hope this will be of some help.
As others have said, decide what you want to do first then go from there, I have been hanging around this iste for some weeks, only just joined today, and there is plenty of helpful info.
And the Nitro stuff can be noisy if you have bad neighbours.
Tom hit it right on the head. There are tons of things to consider when choosing your first r/c. The only thing I can tell you is that you are going to break it. I've been doing this for 25 years, and I still break mine. I say that to say, choose a model that had an abundance of parts available. Electric is a good start, as it's mostly plug n play. I would go with something off road for a first buy. The reason being is you can run it on the asphalt as well as the grass or dirt.Once you've mastered that one, then you can make your decision on which way you want to go (on-road, buggy, rally,....F1,). Again, welcome, and have fun.
welcome to rctech!!! i have had a few electrics when i was a kid, but since i think electric is way too slow, i jumped head first and got a nitro savage monster truck. granted i have a friend that gives me a hand. i have had my savage for 3 years now, so i know how to fix it, run it tune it and all that good stuff..
like others have said, stuff will break, buy something that your LHS (local hobby shop) has an assload of parts for.. some say electric is the way to go for a noobie.. i personally dont think so because you will learn how to run it. also nitro's are loud and stinky, i live out in the country and make lots of other noise (i race lawnmowers too) so noise isnt an issue for me, but it should always be consider when living in town or city.
this hobby likes people with deep pockets, but it can be done with a mininum wage job like i did. like others have said, it depends one the ground you wanna run on, dirt, pavement, grass etc.. i personally love off-road and im strictly a basher, have no desire to race. nitro's are expensive.. costs are fuel (30-40 bucks a gallon), batteries, glow plugs, glow plug ignitor, fuel bottle (not necessary but easier to fill tank), chargers etc.
think thats about it for now. good luck we're here to help. any questions just ask. sift around the forum there's a bunch of really good people here that know their shit. haha
New To R/C And This Site
i agree with RC Dad..... First figure out where you are going to be running your car. Like pavement, dirt or just your front lawn. Keep in mind that if you do just "bash" in your neighborhood. That some people might get upset if you have a nitro powered car. The noise can be loud so just keep that in mind. Then figure out if you want to run nitro or electric... there is a touchy subject. But there are pro's and con's to both. I suggest electric first to get a handle on just driving the car and then go from there. My first rc car was a nitro buggy and fortunately I had help from a local track/people. If I didn't I would have probably given up quickly. So if there is a local track that can be a huge help. Talk to the people there and see what they are running. Ask questions and maybe you will decide if that is right for you or not. 
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