Brand Spanking New Newbie... Question
 

Hello All... I'm a dad looking to buy a Nitro (I've learned this means it uses fuel) RC car for my 11 year old son. I want to get him a buggy that has a pretty large modification base. I have no clue what size or manufacturer to go with. Can anyone give me some advice?

I used to be big into modifying my cars, and I'd like my son to learn a little about cars and I figure RC is a pretty cool place to start. I want a car that offers a multitude of upgrade options. Out of the gate, the car can be very base as long as it has a good supply of parts and options out there. That way he can tinker and I can help him understand what part does what.

Thanks for your help!

To be honest i would start him with an electric truck or buggy. Much easier to work on and do not require a huge amount of tuning knowledge. Besides nitro is very corrosive whatever it comes in contact. That is just my opinion.

I would also say go with a ELECTRIC buggy or truck.

same here, start with electric. you can get long run times, the same speed. it's much cleaner, less maintenance and smells a lot better :nod: I'm getting my 8yr. old his first r/c for xmas, he will be getting a Tamiya M03M Suzuki Swift.

+1 I agree w/The Hawaiian and nothing against gas models but I prefer electric. I built the Suzuki Swift and I cloned it like a RCCaraction article.Stuck in a 4000 2s Lipo, stock gearing, changed the bushings to bearings, different shocks, and some GRP foams on it and the thing flies!

+1 on Electric

It's much cleaner, quieter and more time can be spent on getting the car setup and drive time instead of engine maintenance and dealing with all the neighbours complaining about the noise:lol:. Electric is far less daunting to a newb than nitro and the 1/8 scale electric buggies are FAST and extremely durable. Is there a race club near you or is this just for him to bash around with? If he won't be racing maybe a Traxxas Revo nitro or similar monster truck would be good. I take it you will be 'helping' him build and run it:D

DO NOT give an 11 year old nitro, it can be troublsome for a grown man.It will end up stuck in the garage or up in a closet.

Go with electric hands down.:nod:

Sounds like Dad is capable if his hobby was 1:1 scale cars

A Hot Bodies VE8 might be a buggy to look into. The word is that they are very good and at a great price.

If nitro is what you want, then get it! But I would have to agree with everone else here. Electric would be a great starting point for a young guy. You could check out a Traxxas RTR XL5 or go all out and get a VXL model(brushless). Traxxas has a wide aftermarket and parts availability and they will take some serious abuse. But maybe a TRX Nitro Sport. There not too expensive, RTR outta the box and there a TRAXXAS!

Well I dont know if this post will go through, but i'll try again.

Yes I have a big history with cars. I've built 3 different cars. I use to run karts as well, so I'm used to tinkering. I loved spending hours working in my kart engine or my car engine. It was great for me.

Nitro just seems like it would be a ton of fun. Half of the fun for me was just working on the engine. I know most people probably love the drive time, but i found more fun in tinkering and testing. That's the side that I would work with my son.

The biggest concern I have is noise. How much louder is a nitro over electric? I mean if you lived on a couldesac, could you drive the nitro car in the street and not upset neighbors? Or is the nitro just so loud, that you need to be out in nature?

The noise depends, there are loud pipes and quite pipes. Also depends on how close your neighbors are and if there's any trees and bushes between where you'd be running and your neighbors. I live on a culdesac too and I can not run my nitros in the street due to the noise, my neighbors will call the constable and he'll tell me to stop even if its the middle of the day.

I have a big, fenced, back yard surrounded by trees and when I run there when my neighbors call and complain the constable comes by, sees I'm in my back yard, waves at me and goes and tells the neighbor to mind her own business. My Savage runs a stock pipe but its a little loud.

It also depends a little on your neighbors. If you have a fussy one like I do, there's not a lot of hope. Nitro though is way louder than electric.

Thanks Duster... well my neighbors are CLOSE with no trees hehe.. so yea sounds like if i go Nitro, my son would only be able to play with it every now and then. So it sounds like Electric might be the way I have to go. Too bad though as both my boy and i love the smell of fuel :)

Currently looking at the Traxxas Rustler or Revo. Probably starting with brushed (as it's cheaper out of the box, and we get the fun of tinkering later swapping to brushless if we so desire).

Any others to look at that are similar? Will be used mostly on tarmac and a little grass with occassional dirt, but nothing super extreme.

noise? fire up your car w/no exhaust,open headers or wind out a lawnmower or gas blower. Would they complain? lol! The Rustler or Revo is a good choice. Have you looked at the Slash;either 2 or 4wd?

With today's motors, esc's and batteries nitro lost a lot of it's appeal.

Other than the noise, I really like recharging rather than refueling.

Even for mostly pavement use? I gotta say, I like the cost. I'm trying to keep it around $300.00 for the first purchase. I just like the look of truggies, they look menacing and somewhat sleek as well. Kinda cool.