You can't go wrong with an offerring from the big 4. Associated, losi, kyosho and traxxas. i think they all will suit your needs because they all take a little different approach to end at the same point. I am a little partial to Associated and Kyosho because I have owned or do own some and have had really good luck with them both. The first thing is to see what your LHS has stocked for parts and steer towards that one.
If you are looking in to cheap, rc car action rated the duratrax evader the best entry level 2wd buggy and there is the MRC/Team Academy 2wd buggy that both should be sufficient to wet your taste buds on a 2wd buggy. Tamiya also makes solid product but I never really liked the way they looked.
in the racing scene, at the club level anything from the big 4 will be competitive in my opinion. for bashing, get yourself some extra front control arms and shock towers as they are usually the first to get broken. regardless of what buggy you get.
anything you get will be a ton of fun. after all these years, i still enjoy the buggies the most and when I got back into the hobby, i bought my rc10 b4 first.