when i first started i drove the e-10 cheap car to learn with but not good for racing. then i went to the hpi sprint 2. car was great for the first couple of months then the chassis started flexing way to much. after that i got a cyclone s. its a perfect in expensive car to learn with. even if u want to stay in the game for a while you can get upgraded cyclone tc aluminum parts and bolt it on to it.i have a cyclones s i use for a spec race series abc hobby's is doing and am very pleased with how it works. so like time said if you want a car that is very cheap to start with get the cyclone s. then all you need is a 17.5 and your golden