Brand wise it depends on what chassis type you want...sedan, oval???
Sedan:
Team Losi
Team Associated
Schumacher
Corally
X Ray
Yokomo
Tamiya...there are more
Oval:
Team Associated
Team trinity
Custom Works
Hyper Drive
ADX(i think thats a brand)
Race Tech(isnt that one)...there are others too
For the sedans, the losi's fit ...and for oval cars you need to buy what are called superspeedway bodies...go to
www.pro-lineracing.com and look at the oval ones. Or like posted before, if you have a nitro sedan, the HPI monte carlo works
and what do you mean by a check list of how to set up your car...do you mean the correct stuff to buy, or to actually set the car itself up??