If you are starting from scratch in nitro 1/8 scale, I would buy the Losi RTR. Every hobby shop in town has parts and you will easily find a Losi driver at any track. Yes, it will require upgrades along the way but not right away. Buy it drive it and upgrade it when something breaks and you become more experienced. Just so you know I am not biased towards Losi, I drive an Xray XB9