Pulse_

to learn driving and setup a car -> 1/10 2wd

for the fun factor, power and ease of use -> 1/8 4wd

that's why I race both

JK47

1/8 E-Buggy/Truggy = Easy class. That designation is deceptive as it is NOT easy to drive any class fast, but due to the size and stability of these vehicles it is MUCH easier to drive than say.. 1/10 2wd buggy. The initial costs are higher and maintenance costs (mostly in the form of tires) is approximately 2-4x's more than 2wd buggy. The good news is that you will rarely break anything, unless your a complete noobie and insist on running into things at full speed. THIS INCLUDES OTHER CARS AND PEOPLE!! As a noobie, unless you learn quickly to harness the amount of power these things have, you will be a serious liability on the track.

1/10 2wd buggy = Skill. There is no 4wd to help pull you through the turn if you take a bad line. These things weigh so little that if you don't take the correct line through the track, your car will bounce all over the place. You can't squeeze the throttle through the turn and powerslide around. In this class, in order to make it around the track competently, you WILL have to master:
- braking in a straight line
- learning to turn proportionally (instead of jamming full left and full right in the turns)
- THROTTLE CONTROL!!!!
- suspension tuning
- clean passing
- learning that controlling car attitude in the air happens BEFORE your jump
- etc....

There is a reason 1/10 2wd buggy is considered the premier class in RC.

My humble opinion is that you start with 1/10 2wd buggy IF they run this class consistently in your area. It WILL make you a better driver.

That being said, 1/8 buggy is VERY impressive with the amount of power you can lay out on the track. I run 1/8 E-buggy, 1/10 4wd SCT, and 1/10 2wd buggy every time I race at my local track and I have to say that 2wd buggy is the hardest and most satisfying class I run.