bobbythunder

okay so about a year or so ago i decided to get into these things. went to my local hobby shop picked out a nitro 2.5 tmaxx. spent prob close to $600 then i start having problems 3 weeks into it. long story short it was not a good first experience. had it and maintained it for about 3 months then i tapped out. my downfall is lack of understanding of how to tune a nitro engine. so now that i've got that out of the way i want to purchase a good starter electric truck or buggy thats not gonna cost me a fortune. im thinking $260 tops. considering the stampede, rustler and the slash. open to more suggestions though. $300 is my absolute top dollar i would even consider on one ,givin my 1st experience. i understand you still have to work on any of them but i have seen first hand nitros are more tempermental.

Joel Lagace

iTrader: (4)

sounds like there wont be racing in your future?


Even though it may not be, you should check out your local track situations.. Short Course trucks are great basher trucks but can also be raced. So for me your short list should include:

-SC10 Brushless RTR (enjoy maintance free bashing or racing with this) as luck would have it they go for 260$???? How did u come up with that budget anyway? LOL

-Traxxas Slash. Bullet proof good time basher.. not as good as a racer but in the right hands............???

Jms493

Stampede VXL is a good starter truck. You can get it cheap with tower discount. get a 2S lipo, truck, and Charger and you will be set.

kman16jr

iTrader: (56)

I would get the slash 2wd with 2.4ghz.It comes with a basic battery and charger but it is really a great truck.I raced it for a while and had a blast in spec class.Not to mention it is waterproof and you can drive it in the rainAnd wash it off with a hoseIn short get the slash and pick up an duratrax onyx 200,they cost 40 bucks but are a great charger.Look forward to spending hardly nothing on broken parts because it never breaks.It does about 35 out of the box reliably.

ScottKelly911

iTrader: (9)

I agree, if you're just looking to get your feet wet and don't plan on doing any serious racing. Get a 2wd Slash as said, those things are seriously bullet proof and with just a few mods can be competitive at the track on a race day and really fun at the track on a practice day. This will let you decide how much you like the hobby and if you enjoy racing. If you decide you really like racing and the ease of electric, then you can go from there. There's also some low center of gravity chassis upgrade chassis on the market now that make the Slash quite competitive for racing now. The other trucks you mentioned are fine for bashing, but not as fun. The Stampede has too high of a center of gravity but is great in the grass. The Rustler is a great street burner, but gets really loose in the dirt and spins out way too easily. The Slash is a great all around truck.

MulliganAl

My son and I have Stampedes and we really do enjoy them, but if I did it again I'd give the Slash a real hard look also.

drive2survive

iTrader: (23)

go electric

D-Rek07

iTrader: (1)

Start out with the HPI Blitz. My little brother started out with that and it has been great. He races it every week and has few problems. The Slash is good for bashing but not a great race truck. The SC10 is a racer's truck only. Don't try to bash with that.

hoousi

I also started out with nitro, without help nitro tuning is a pain, i gave up after two trucks and three engines and went over to electric, never looked back. Its marvellous, plug and play!
A shourt course truck is a fine beginning, durable for bashing and ready to race with low cost.
Dont forget youll need a few lipos and charger, cant go wrong with hobbyking.com, so a sc truck rtr plus batteries will fit into your budget. The kyosho is discounted to 159 dollars on amainhobbies, though i dont know about its durability, as mentioned above, are u gonna race or bash?

T-BirdJunkie

iTrader: (10)

Anybody that says brushless electric RTR is maintenance free is full of it.

That being said, the SC10, T4.1, or B4.1 brushless sounds like the best bet for you.

NitroXray80809

iTrader: (24)

Honestly for about 200 more bucks or a little less get a slash 4x4 and lipo charger, not saying to buy lipos yet but the charger will be a big step then the stock one and you can charge nimh on them aswell. I know ur saying 300 tops and a slash 2wd is good but i love my 4x4 way more than my 2wd and the slash 4x4 is the cheapest 4x4 on the market that comes brushless,2.4 ghz, just as strong as the 2wd, and is a great racer and basher. It wont dissapoint you I have never seen anyone hate a slash 4x4 but alot dislike 2wd because its less of a racer to a sc10 but still gets the job done but the 4x4 comes with all the stuff you want out of the box but a good charger and the tires traxxas give you on the 2wd and 4x4 aren't really good for racing but they are good to just run and bash with. So my conclusion with this is a slash 4x4 will be ur ultimate choice and ur not over paying for it at all!

RCBOY 1

iTrader: (12)

GEt an sc10 brushless thats the best 2wd tuck you can getand its the best

gashuffer

iTrader: (48)

This is such a loaded question
Slash 2x4 RTR
Sc10 RTR

Both trucks have an abundance of parts available. Both are great trucks,but it's a matter of which brand you want to support and they are within your budget range. Good Luck.

Lethal Enforcer

iTrader: (98)

I say get a HPI Blitz.Great truck for bashing and if you decide to race you will be competetive

Joel Lagace

iTrader: (4)

lipo should be used from the start... read and learn how they operate, and respect there use and you will get years out of them....... 20$ for a hard cased lipo vs 20$ for a low capacity nihm pack that wont last u 6 months.