again, thanks for the responses. no, i am not new to RC or racing for that matter. i race 1/8 off-road and MT heavily, and i used to run on-road a couple years ago. i had an NTC3 that i raced pretty competitively in the novice class and did pretty well, and i raced an HPI Sprint (yuck) in the 1/10 EP class more for fun. so, now that my LHS is going to start some on-road parking lot racing, i thought it would be nice to get back into on-road, EP especially since my 1/8 are costing me enough already.
i went to my LHS today to ask a few more questions. they said they don't stock Tamiya parts on shelf, but will order parts that you usually go through and stock those. they have TC4 parts on hand at all times, and they stock some HPI/HB parts (probably not touring parts though).
When it comes to choosing a car I always tell everyone get the one you like. Ultimately you will be the one running the car and you have to like your car first before you ever have to worry about making it handle. To be honest parts is not much of an issue as you can order what you need and have it in a few days from all the top companies.
yes, that is a great point. i have often fallen into the trap of buying the kit that most people run in hopes that it would perform for me and that i would like it too, but that's not always the case. i like the looksof a lot of cars, particularly the "luxury" T2R and the TC4. i do not particularly like the "cheap" look of most Tamiya kits and the Cyclone S (this is opinionated, not generalized). disregarding the "radioshack" look of these two kits, no one can deny that looks can be deceiving because they truly perform well for their look.