I have seen many people drop the money on an entry level 5th scale just because the price of fuel (even with gas at $3+ a gallon) is significantly cheaper than running Nitro or electric.... Yea, they are going to spend 800-1500 and tires are a lot more but at the end of the year you are spending much less than 8th and 10th scale.... Especially 8th scale...
Our declining dollar is making the biggest impact IMO... All of our stuff is made in Europe or Asia and our dollar sucks compared to the Euro and Pound...