I am a very new racer who just purchased the 2.0, I am very happy and have yet to have any problems. You have very good support world wide with losi. That is local or online. At any rate, coming from a new driver my 2.0 is stable and fast and should be a good fit for anyone. I emailed "ABURTON" on this thread and got a super friendly setup that suits newer less agrressive drivers.
I also ordered from carolinasrc.com and once the buggy was in my cart I noticed it was $539, I took advantage of a $65 coupon code and got it for Less than $475. It came race ready, trimmed body, glued wheels/tires and like I said has suited me well.
I thought about some of the cheaper buggies myself. Although I care not to get in a war as we all have opinions I think overall the Losi 2.0 cost more because it is more. Although it cost a little more you will be happy. The company has a larger team who is very helpful here and other forums. Some key names are obviously Adam Drake, Casey Peck, ABURTON, along with many other guys who I see helping on this forum.