Problem with reciever or radio, need troubleshooting help
 

Setup - Ofna Lx2, stock radio and stock reciever, Hitec servos

The problem - randomly will I loose all control over my buggy, it doesn't go crazy, just acts like the reciever turns off but it's still on, doesn't happen often but this last incident had me running down the street like a mad man chasing my buggy which was playing ping pong off the curbs. It's happened before while I was adjusting my linkage in the kitchen. The radio stays on and the reciever stays on, but nothing happens when steering or throttling. If I turn off the reciever then turn it back on, I have control again. I'm not sure what exactly is wrong because I can't replicate the problem to troubleshoot. Any ideas or suggestions?

The dx3s looks appealing
I'm throwing around the idea of just replacing the radio and reciever but that seems fairly expensive. I'm not racing just yet, just having fun and bashing.

If I were to get a new radio and reciever, does anyone have any good suggestions? Would like to stay under or around $125.

Possibility#1: Your servos draw more power than your receiver pack can provide resulting in the brown-out effect you're getting.
#2: Bad receiver
#3 Bad power switch or some other short in your wiring.

Either way, you should check your fail-safe settings. At the very least, your throttle servo should be set to go to neutral or apply a bit of brake when/if your receiver ever looses signal.

If you do wind up upgrading, I'd take a look at the Futaba 3PL in your price range. Futaba's are known for their range and quality and it should fit your needs well. It also won't have any of the lag issues that plague some of the much-cheaper radios out there.

What is this fail safe that you speak of? I just recently got back into rc after an 8 year brake, back then we didn't have spread spectrum and digital stuff, so I'm trying to catch on to this new technology.

Check your manual; how to set it will vary a lot. I'd expect any modern radio to have it and if you don't, time to upgrade now.