I bought my son an Exceed drift king for his bday... It has issues where it just jerks and sputters with both the included battery(gens 2000mah nimh) and a different battery I ordered (3800mah nimh) .... The company is sending me out a new esc to try and fix it but Im already wanting one for myself

So......
I want a decent brushless Lipo setup, budget is around $300

I would love a 1/5 scale but those are expensive.

I see nitrorcx has 1/8 scale trucks and short course trucks ...RTR for around $300 made by Iron track and Exceed and wondering if one of these would be a good choice?

Im a bit leery as the Exceed drift king I ordered my son had issues out of the box- but then again the price was right and everything seems high quality for the price.

My biggest gripe is the lack of documentation- its already daunting for a first time RC car buyer- but then it only comes with an exploided parts list, and a quick start sheet for the transmitter telling you how to set the failsafe but doesnt explain any of these functions or even tell what the knobs/lights indicate or do.
I just cant afford a traxxis or anything like that.
I just need a decent budget on/offroad vehicle that will support Lipos and is brushless with a good brushless motor that will have the thing moving fast.

Would like good speeds on the street but also some offroad ability so not sure if I should lean torwards an offroad truck or something like a short course truck or truggy.

Ive read that out of all the exceeds - the short course chassis was the most solid- (read this a couple different times but they didnt elaborate why) so wondered if this is true?

Also- 1/8 vs 1/10 - Is there any pros and cons I should consider? I would assume the 1/10 scale is more common and would be easier to find parts at local shops but are there any other pros or cons of 1/8 over 1/10 scale?

I plan on buying in a couple weeks when I get my tax refund so that me and my son can play around with our RC's and just trying to get an idea of what to get.

Thanks