RC Powered Cars

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been looking for an RC Powered Car for my 10 year old son. Wow who knew there were so many choices/decisions to be made?

Electric vs. Gas
This Brand vs. That Brand
This Model vs. That Model
What size battery to buy
New or Used

I went to a local Hobby shop but felt like the guy just wanted to sell me something. So I’ve been doing a lot of research online and have learned a lot from the forums. The people have been very helpful there and I feel like I’m getting an unbiased opinion.

The overwhelming majority of people from the RC Forum recommended RC Electric Cars over RC Gas Cars for a beginner. They said RC Electric Cars are quite a bit easier to run and far easier to maintain.

With respect to the question about which model would be good for a beginner the Traxxas Stampede or the Traxxas Rustler were recommended over and over.

As for the size of battery to buy, I was told that a 6 cell battery would be best for a beginner. The 6 cell battery will keep the speed down making it easier to control. Once he figures out how the car will respond then he can move up to a 7 or 8 cell battery that will increase the speed significantly.

When I asked the question of whether to buy new or used I heard quite a few horror stories about buying broken cars that ended up costing them more in end to fix. Most of the experts suggested buying a new car with a warranty from the manufacturer. However, if I was still considering buying a used car I should only do so through a reputable hobby shop that would stand behind the quality.

Any comments from fellow RC Powered Car enthusiast would be welcomed and appreciated.