Go with the Jammin....best bang for the buck for a noob. Most hobby shops carry parts for it, and it's fairly inexpensive for an 1/8th scale. You can get them used and in good condition for a good price too. I read an article that was done about a year or so ago in a magazine, and they took 8 buggies and pitted them up against each other. The Kyosho came out on top of course, but a CLOSE second was the Jammin. I have one and I love it. I went to the Jammin website, looked up the latest set up, made sure the buggy matched that set up, and it's been HOOKED UP at every track i've raced it at. The only changes i've made have been to the sway bars and tires. Good buggy for a newb!