My Havoc was the first new esc I've bought in years. TOP of the line brushed esc's (if you don't already have one) sell for $30-40 every single day on RC Tech from reputable sellers...so don't try to "enhance" your argument by inflating the REAL cost of the brushed option. Especially when it's "ok" to consider the dirt cheap wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy $30 LiPo chargers. Number of problems I've had with the, oh, twenty or so brushed and brushless esc's I've purchased used in the last 5 years? Exactly two, BOTH of which were promptly taken care of by the sellers. Contrast that with the number of BRAND NEW esc's on which I've been SCREWED by the mfr (even with a receipt and note from the track owner)...one (thanks for nothing LRP). I had to eat that one.
People will damn nearly give away 27T motors now, but get REALLY crazy and say you'd spend $15 for one shipped. IT WON'T NEED TO BE TURNED OR RE-BRUSHED IN A YEAR OF RACING...I've done it, so I know. One turn and re-brush a year, pretending I don't have a box of brushes, say $5 and 15 minutes. Hell, let's get absolutely insane and say I re-brush three times in a year. I'd still run a LOT of years before I added up to the price of my first $85 Novak 21.5 even if I "pay" myself pretty handsomely for the 15 minutes each time.
I made three 4-cell packs out of two used 6-cell packs. Total cost? $30. I only need ONE of those packs for my VTA car because I never take the battery out of it during race day. Actual battery cost? $10. IT WILL LAST ME AT LEAST ANOTHER SEASON BEYOND THE ONE IT RAN FOR ME THIS YEAR...and they were used batteries to begin with. The only "maintenance"? I'll make sure it doesn't get discharged to zero (which means I'll top it up every month or two during our off-season. Oh yeah, I use my Battery Dr. after every race day to equalize the cells. There's another $20 invested (if I already hadn't had one).
The economic arguments don't work. They only work if you foolishly bought into the notion that you really had to do anything at all to that equipment. My car which, again, won it's last two races is living proof that it ISN'T necessary. Period. Now, if LiPo / Brushless is your be all and end-all, so be it. I'm by no means anti- brushless or anti-LiPo. I use 'em in my cars as appropriate, I have 'em for my planes and my little helicopter. I will just never believe that it was the correct decision for VTA. My opinion, and one that I can back with as many (and more) facts than any arguments against.
Oh...total power cost for two years of VTA now? MAYBE $75. Plus the Battery Dr. and a couple pairs of brushes. That additional $125 is going to take me a LONG time to make up in brushes and 15 minute motor rebuilds. Oh yeah...and we're laughing our a$$e$ off every time we race.