Are you looking at new or used, 1/8 scale or 1/10th, bashing or racing, any experience with nitro, what brand parts does your LHS carry or are all upgrades, maintainence, and upgrades being purchased on line? I own several monster trucks (associated, hpi, duratrax) and there are many things to consider, but I love them all, just never get to run them with the racing rc's taking priority.