My son is 8 and has had RC's of a hobby grade since he was 3, so he can drive them fine, he has a Slash now for just down the park as it's tough as nails, easy to get parts, he's expressed a desire to race on road so I am going down the Tamiya Mini (M05 etc) road, just as they are also very tough, the manuals are easy to use and parts are readily available.