I am just glad I am not the one who decided on giving racing a go. I am happy with my bash n crash hobby status lol. But as for the Tamiya, you already sold ME on it. But I have to pay my G35's insurance before I buy another RC kit =/ And waiting for my Christmas bonus sounds like a good plan. :-)
I told my friend all of the downsides you all speak of regarding the actual cost to get something competitive up and running as a new kit instead of going with a good 2nd hand setup. And he has decided to take it slow and visit the tracks when I bring my MT to bash around so that he can mingle with the other drivers and see who is racing what in our area. So thank you all for putting it into perspective. I had no idea how much money the pros put into these cars.