Well, I'm in Germany, and to give you an idea of comparitive prices:
Losi 8T 2.0 - €380
RC8T CE - €465 or so..
Mugen MBX6T - €500
Serpent - €485..
It's a pretty big price difference..
Now, I could get an LRP RTR (with LRP Spec 3 .28) for €330.. But yeah, don't want an RTR - or to spend that much.. Just sayin' - 200 bucks is cheap for a new kit.
As for Losi, I keep reading about how fast they wear out....
And again, this would be more for bashing, much less so for competitive racing - though I would maybe do that once in a while..