locked, your comments are all good and I won't beat this thing to death but....Your experiences are the perfct example of what I'm saying except from the reverse side. Had you received good advice...you may have made a better choice for that first car. You're right...buying a car like the TT01 or an E10 is not the best choice to enter the hobby. I recommend those cars for only 2 reasons.....the budget is really small and you either dont plan on racing or dont know if you might want to race. Either way, these type of cars do serve a purpose.....they tend to make the extended cost LESS because it : 1. gives you an understanding of what it takes to drive and some time to build driving skill 2. Gives you the time to find out IF and at what level you may want to get more involved 3. gives you time to learn various functions of the car, electronics, radio AND time to research various manufacturers 4. Gives you time to build a budget for the gear you've now researched and have the skill to operate and maintain.
As I said, there are many great cars both used and new that would better suit a person who has no rc history whatsoever. Way2evl is maybe much more fortunate than some. The fact that he has a large budget to work with is both a gift and a curse.
I wish him the best but I truly believe his learning curve will be hindered by the level of the gear he's buying...UNLESS he literally has someone "holding his hand" to guide and teach him. Just look at some of his questions. All good ones but definitely those of a true beginner. The level of the gear he's getting will take him ages (or never) to figure out. We've all seen it....the poor guy who got a top end car and does nothing but get frustrated because there's never enough help for him....especially in a racing environment. We all know how busy that can be.
Anyway, I'm sorry if anyone is offended. As a race director and the originator of our club I've just seen way to many folks get scared off this way and I can never agree with this kind of approach as a proper entrance to the hobby.