I'm planning on picking up a Team Durango DEX410R because of the new awesome price, and I'm looking for a good sensored setup for as little money as possible. I wish the Xerun came in a 100A model, because the 120A model is out of my comfortable price range, and I think the 60A might be a bit limiting (correct me if I'm wrong here). Anyway, I'm looking now at the Trackstar 100A ESC. Pretty good specs (although the 200A burst seems a bit low), small size, nice looks, and ROAR-compliant:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s..._Car_ESC_.html

As for the motor, I'm a Tacon lover, and their sensored motors claim higher wattage than Leopard's, at a lower price: http://www.hobbypartz.com/96m203-365...-sensored.html

And of course some Gens Ace LiPos
http://www.hobbypartz.com/98p-25c-4800-2s3p-saddle.html

If anyone knows of a cheaper setup than this that would actually work well in a 4wd buggy or has some other recommendations, I'm all ears

The speed controller is a repackage from these guys.

SkyRC

Nice pick

Awesome, thanks for that. I was sure it was a rebrand of another company, but I wasn't sure which. I'll have to check out which branding I can get for cheaper, assuming I can find more good reviews of it.

Okay, so I've come up with two packages that I think would work well, each either all HobbyPartz or all HobbyKing.

First, HobbyPartz:
Xerun 60A ESC http://www.hobbypartz.com/07e-c-xerun-60a-sd.html
Tacon 6.5T sensored motor http://www.hobbypartz.com/96m203-365...-sensored.html
Gens Ace saddle pack http://www.hobbypartz.com/98p-25c-4800-2s3p-saddle.html

Next, HobbyKing:
"TrackStar" (Toro) 100A ESC http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s..._Car_ESC_.html
X-Car 8.5T sensored motor http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...ess_Motor.html
Nano-tech 65C saddle pack http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...ddle_Pack.html

Now for some pros and cons of each setup...
HobbyPartz PROS: Xerun, Tacon, and Gens Ace are all pretty well-known for making good products, HP is US-based and I've ordered from them before with great success.
HobbyPartz CONS: the Xerun ESC is rated for less current than the TrackStar, the Gens Ace LiPo is only 4800mAh and 25C.

HobbyKing PROS: The ESC is rated for nearly 2x the current as compared to the Xerun, the Nano-tech LiPo is 5100mAh and 65C constant!
HobbyKing CONS: Hong Kong based means if there's any problems I won't have a fun time getting a refund, none of the items are especially 'proven,' and although the ESC has a higher constant amp rating, it's peak is significantly lower than the Xerun (200A vs. 360A).

Any more thoughts on this one? Right now I'm leaning towards the HobbyPartz setup just because there's a certain risk associated with the HobbyKing setup that I'm not sure I'm willing to take if I'm dishing out that much money.

Speaking of money, HobbyPartz package including an ESC programming box, tax, free shipping, and discount codes comes out to $140 shipped. The HobbyKing package including the ESC programming card and shipping comes out to $150 shipped. decisions, decisions...

I would honestly pick and choose what you want if I were you. Go with the hobbywing set up, you'll get free shipping, and then buy the nano tech saddle pack. You'll only end up paying for one shipping, so why not get the best stuff. Hobbywing is just plain better than trackstar, imo.

why not buy a MMp and a used motor for that price? Your only saving $20-$30 to buy crappy elc with no warranty...

Imo, the hobbywing stuff isn't crap by any means. The new orion esc's, they're oem'd by hobbywing. The speed passion stuff, it's all hobbywing in a different box. So the hobbywing stuff is actually top quality ( the orion r10 is starting to be considered a competitor to the rx8). Tacon motors, I haven't had first hand experience with. But, from all of the very good reviews I've seen and read I can safely say they're quite good also. As for the lipo's, I've had great luck with lipo's from china and I think that they're underrated for being cheap when they actually compete with a lot of the big name brands.

1) Hobbywing certainly isn't crap.
2) Although the specs of the Nano-tech look better than the Gens Ace, I'm a bit wary about ordering an unproven battery from China with basically no warranty. I took the risk with my first LiPo (Flightmax) because the price was right and everything worked out fine, but I'm not sure I want to take that risk again. The nano-tech has no reviews, but the Gens Ace has plenty and they're all positive. Besides, the Gens Ace outputs 120A constant, which is double the ESC, and 240A burst, so I don't think I'll have any issues anyway.

I've had nothing but issues with MMP speedies, and that was even in a 1/10 TC running a 17.5 motor and a few LED's, when a $22 speedie from HK did the job flawlessly (3 races, 3 wins)

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s..._10_1_12_.html

least expensive sensored setup I know of .

http://www.ckhobby.com/shop/?control...&product_id=86

Wow, that looks great! I considered it, but in reality it's only around $20 less than the name-branded Xerun ESC and Tacon motor, so for that price I think I'd rather just get the "real thing." Definitely a good deal though, for sure.