I agree. I first bought a new Losi XXX-S +G. Once I got my X-ray T2 used, guess what... I got better, my lap times as well as my driving staying off the boards. It made a difference.:tire:

I know this guy who bought an XXX-S and he completely regretting it because lots of the parts were enclosed and hard to get to and the gears were special Losi gears and so hard to aquire.

Anyway thanks for the advice.

depends a bit on rules i'd say. the tb03 and really any other SD car might be real good to you. granted i didnt see carpet or asphalt. and if u had plans to move up outta 540 w/o another car. do urself a favor and if u go tamiya, go get the 'R' versions. saves bread very quickly. u get all the good bits for the price of the shock kit on top of a regular model. this applies with the ta05IFSR, dont think there's a TB03R yet. the Cyc S is another great car thats really low on the budget. somethin like 125 at speedtech. can really make that car work and move it up as u need. also a very good T/A platform if ur track does that too. be real hard to look beyond those 2 companies for a new ride. used rides could be an alternative, but honestly start anew and have a go.

R

The TA05 is a great car to start out with! It is a competitive car to the top brands for a fraction of the cost.

there aren't really any other choice besides the Tamiya TA05 and TB03 plus the Cyclone S from Hot Bodies (excluding 2nd hand kits of course). and i also +1 to getting a new kit and building it yourself.

So my choices stand at:

HB Cyclone S
Tamiya TA05
Tamiya TB03

I think I am going with the Tamiya TA05 IFS-R Kit. Does that sound about right?.

To the best of my knowledge, the only thing the IFS does for you is give the ability to run super low front-end Tamiya bodies. Can't speak for other people and tracks, but this didn't seem to matter one lick (for me). The vast majority of rubber tire racers (carpet) I've seen run the Mazda 6 body by Protoform...hardly a super low front-end like the NSX. Also, most other high end cars have suspension like the TA05, not the IFS. I'd say the regular TA05 or TA05-R (if you can find one) would give better experience towards that inevitable upgrade to a high end car.

Ive raced a ta05 for 2 seasons, all ive had to replace were the stock toe blocks, for trf blue ones.

I put trf shocks on it, universal driveshafts and a 3racing chassis as upgrades which helped it a little, but i've raced for almost 15 years, so usually im looking for tenths of a second, not seconds per lap.

I used a spool too, but for a newcomer theres no need to go for this until you are consistant on lap times.

Anyone know somewhere online I can get TA05 kit with all the stuff I need, excluding tools, they need to ship internationally too.

So what are good internationally shipping sites?

Some this to remember
 

Check to see which one has the most parts support locally.

As TA IFS-R owner,I have found out the hard way that is car is not fully supported locally. When I need something, other than supension arms, it off to internet to search for parts and then wait for shipments to come in because no one vendor has all the parts. Some parts will only found at Tamyia USA.

I can get parts easy from sites online I know. The nearest hobby shop from me is 1hr and 30 mins drive so online works better. The car is the hard thing to find.

you can pick up used trf 415 msx and msxre's for real cheap these days. less then 150 bux. I've got 2 and they perform great.

I am going to buy a kit one of the three stated above but just need a good site to buy one of them from.

I found some websites having cheap price but don't guarantee they are the cheapest.

TA05R-IFS:http://www.precisionrc.com/nv/car/pr...oduct_id=54406

Cyclone S:http://www.ultimatehobbies.com/istar...=HPI66405!1007

If you can afford a little more, here are other two choices

TRF415: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/ite...oduct-id=42104

TC5: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ducts_id/14047

I would say if you want a cheap but upgradeable car, go for Cyclone S, you can make it like Cyclone TC step by step, they are pretty identical except the lower chassis deck and different material for the parts. Of course you can do the same thing for TA05R but you may need more parts for the conversion (I mean to make your low end car "look" like a high end car). However TA05R already has some goods in it like TRF damper, CV joint, carbon reinforce chassis and suspension, and some aluminium parts.

If you can afford TA05R-IFS, I would strongly recommend you to buy Associated TC5, just add 50 bucks more you can have a race version car, no need any carbon fiber upgrade :nod:, and it is easy to get parts on some American online shops.