I've seen a few of you are into RC as your secondary hobby for those no wind days. I'm wanting to get an offroad truck or somethign i can beat on for under $100 but want it to be fast/fun. Any suggestions? :P

Are you thinking about the gas-powered RC? A coworker of mine is really into those things, he gets them all the time for $80-100, I'm sure you can buy a used one fairly cheap. Look for local groups that might be selling some older models, I'm sure there are people nearby that are can be helpful in finding one for you.

yeah i was thinkin' about the gas powered just cuz the electric has so little "fun time" till u have to recharge. yeah I'll have to keep a look out on CL, etc...

The only problem I see with those gas powered RCs are that the fuel can be pretty expensive ($20+ for a gallon) and they are pretty temperamental with temperature and humidity. You need to be moderately knowledgeable about setting gas/air mixtures because if its too lean or rich, the engine won't run correctly. The humidity has a pretty big impact on the function of the motors.

Best of luck to you!

I had a Traxxas T-Maxx which I just sold for $75 without the radio gear. God entry level truck but not very durable. There's and HPI Savage 4.6 hiding in the garage now - nearly indestructable so the initial outlay is made up for by the lack of repair time. As ever, you get what you pay for and once you're in you just want more, more, more. I had a rock crawler that I was tricking out with the goal of being able to climb up the stairs in my house (no small task). I was inspired by this:



Ultimately it started collecting dust so I sold that crawler too.

Dunno man- my t-max was almost bullet proof once I replaced the bulk heads and drive lines. I was running 30% heli fuel in it and it would pull the front wheels off the ground near the top end of 1st and keep 'em off all the way through second. As for EP run times, it all depends on your motors and batteries. I have a mini-t that will do over 50 mph and I get about 12-14 minutes of run time with a 1900 milliamp Li-po. Watch craigs list but be weary of used nitro models- you never know what they have been put through. Those savages are pretty sick, macboy, but I ran into parts compatibilty issues. Spurs from an X don't work in others, etc.. I'm pretty die hard HPI - those and losi's were what I raced.

Got a box with 2 buggies in that'd I'd almost give away for shipping - I never use them anymore no time, kites and bikes take it all up :D

@ kami, what brand?

Electric in my books ... with Lipo Batteries + Brushless out there, not even Gas can keep up.

if your on a budget look at Traxxas, since more kits come RTR.

Kyosho, nitro ...

Dude! if you're willing to ship 'em across the pond I'd take 'em off your hands :D . I live in Idaho, tell me what you want for price and also the cost on shipping and let's get it rollin'!

i tried the hobby, when you get cheap nitro gear , suff breaks, things are made from plastic when they should be made from metal and so on and so on. i went with nitro rcx, had the engine seize on me two times, i followed the breakin procedures, sent he engiine in the first time they sent me a new one, second time it happend i said F it and got my money back, nitro is something once you get into; be prepaired to constantly sink doe into.

Yeah, in it's defense (the T-Maxx) it was an upgraded early model with an unusually strong 2.3 in it. My problem with it was twizzlering the driveline shafts. The Savage so far hasn't needed repair and I drive it WAY harder than the T-Maxx. Def impressed. Would have rathered Elec/Lipo but the cost just isn't there yet to give you the same "drive hard, drive lots" kinda day that nitro can give you. (Of course we're in a bit colder of a climate so we don't need to worry too much about stuff overheating too badly during runs.)

E rustler is a great way to start. Stadium trucks are fun and pretty tough. Buy 3 bt packs and a good charger and you will not have any down time.

Dan