I had a losi 8ight-t rtr for awhile and it treated me well. Only things that ever went on it were the pull starter and clutch bearings. Doesn't have the greatest engine or servos out there or the tunability of a kit but it's enough for someone getting into 1/8 nitro.

Not sure how big of jumps you'd be doing but I was sending my rtr around 30-40 feet off a wood ramp completely stock and nothing ever happened. Once I had the cap come partially off but that was due to me running into a wall. The things a tank, I was thoroughly surprised how well it held up. Another plus with the 8ight series is parts, everyone sells them.

The thing I've found with nitro is you should probably always stay within the main brands you think of when you think of rc. I had two nitro redcat cars, one being a $370-420 (depending on where you bought it) 1/8 truggy, and there was no comparison. I could never get the redcat to run right and when it did I broke something every time I used it. I also bought a tmaxx that had barely been used on Craigslist and the thing was a slob. Doubled my money in a week and never looked back.
I was out of rc for over a year and got back into it because I bought my 8ight-t. Watching a channel like botajell made a world of a difference too, especially as he made a few vids on the rtr specifically. He broke literally everything down and made it very easy to understand anything you could ever wonder about nitro.
That being said, I still have my rtr although it doesn't get used much. I bought a used ae rc8t3.1 with an incredible engine and it's a monster but I also have double into it as I do my losi. 1/8 nitro is one of those things you can't cheap out on or it'll come back to bite you. Do it right the first time and it'll pay off every time you're smelling nitro instead of bringing it back in to replace a broken part.

I wouldn't dabble into 8th scale if you’re not going to at least club race. Ready to runs are all trash.

Are there any Rc tracks near you?

there are two indoor tracks within a half hour of me.
One dirt the other carpet.
They are 10th scale only and electric only. Sort of a bummer.
But there are plenty of dirt lots around and I live next to the mountains so a lot of places to drive in the foothills.

Like I've previously said, I 100% recommend the 8ight-t rtr. It's no slouch for a ready to run, definitely nothing like a full race kit like my current truggy, but it's plenty for someone getting into 1/8 nitro. Especially if you're rarely going to be on a track and will be recreationally using with jumps here and there, it's the perfect vehicle.

where are you located in Utah?