the money sunk into this RS4-3SS is less than someone would drop on a Kyosho or Mugen to get some of the same benifits that some of the changes had for this car. I mean look at teh pricing difference. 104$ for an upgrade chassis for a Kyosho, 45$ for an HPI, etc... etc...

HPI parts are cheap, widely available, and fairly sturdy. If you want to get into a cost benifit comparison I am pretty sure that the RS4-3SS is not that far off from most of the other cars. And much lighter than the R40

The only purchase I made for this car that wouldnt ever need to be purchased for a R40 or others, is teh 2 speed setup for 70$ (which was a complete replacement W/ larger stronger one way than any factory stock 2 speed out there sans 1/8th scale setups).

Everything else is the type of thing ANY racer would replace, or upgrade on a car they were racing every weekend for 2 years like I have with the RS4-3SS.

But even I know the car is limited, thats why I have a Kyosho now. But the RS43-SS is a solid and good car for club racing and bashing in parking lots, but lacks the tuneability on the ass end to make it that solid for racing in the long run.