I got the xxx-t RTR brushless for my 1st truck and love it. The electronics and radio are quite good. The extra cost of the brushless was worth it to me for the ease of maintenance. Besides, I think it will make a good platform when I wanna go racing. 2 birds w/ one stone and all that....
Natch, I broke the shit out of it the 1st day, b/c my driving skills were lame, so the most imp factor was how easy the parts are to get. My local hobby shop carries mostly Traxxas, Assoicated and Losi, so that made it a 3 way race. HPI and others are very tough to get parts for here.
I would recommend checking that aspect, although anything is available on the net, it sucks to wait if you don't have to.