Originally Posted by
SteveM
If you plan to run outdoors on asphalt then you might consider a shaft drive car as they have sealed diffs that help keep dust and dirt out of key areas. A belt drive chassis will almost undoubtedly have more exposed diffs, pulleys, pinion and spur gears that are susceptible to pebbles and other debris.
I have a Tamiya TB-03, Spec-R R1 and a Schumacher Mi5 that I race locally. The Mi5 on 17.5 blinky is a rocket and handles the best. The R1 is almost as good as the Mi5 and costs much less. I picked up the TB-03 brand new just a few weeks ago and it's also a great car and cheaper still than the R1. For general street bashing I'd use the TB-03.
I run at Superior, the track he has mentioned. The prep it pretty well so dust / dirt isn't much of an issue. I think the AE or Xray, out of the box, is a safe bet and won't really need upgrades to start (especially the Xray). the Mi5 is a great choice too, seems all Schumacher cars perform on asphalt. Some of the other cars out there can be a little more work depending on the brand.