Help! Clueless Mom Needs Cyber Monday Help w/Entry Level RTR RC Nitro Hobby Gift for Son

[greeneyeddg]

Hi All,

I'm sure you've seen this kind of plea before. The title pretty much says it all.

I'm hoping someone will be kind enough to help me.

My son will be 17 on the 23rd of December and has been asking for a nitro/gas car and a decent H.O. train set for years. Aside from driver's ed to help him get his real CA driver's license, this year, they are the only two items on his Christmas/Birthday wish list.

He has been an RC car, plane, helicopter, boat, and train enthusiast since he was a toddler and is skilled at RC car driving, drifting, etc. He's been through a load of RC vehicles., battle bots, and the like.

He's a great kid and I want to get him something on sale today (Cyber Monday) at a reasonable price so that I don't end up giving him something cheaply built or lame. If I could buy a durable vehicle for a skilled driver who is new to nitro for half price or 40% off, I could actually get him something nice. I'd need to keep my total cost below $250.00. I can buy two at $150.00 each. I know it sounds like a tall order but anything is possible.

I need to know where to go and what to do to set him up with a gift he'll be happy with on his birthday and or Christmas. If the price is right, I may be able to purchse 2 different vehicles.

Here are the specs:

Needs to be durable
No minis - approx 12 (or so) inches long *What size should I be looking for?
RTR or nearly RTR
No rock-crawlers
Good suspension
Reasonable ground clearance (wants to drive on the street and off road)
Some sort of fender, bar, or front end protection for car
Not thrilled with monster trucks but doen't mind off-road trucks
Prefers race type cars or stunt cars, buggys are okay - sporty
Easy to repair or replace parts
Upgradeable
Decent run time and battery
Battery charger that won't ruin battery
advanced controls (if possible)


There are so many choices and I haven't the luxury of blowing money. We are a one income family living in costly Southern California. Any and all suggestions, tips, leads and insights are gratefully accepted.

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my request.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the upcoming holidays.

Have a Bountiful Day,
~Deb

[Lhancelot]

Originally Posted by greeneyeddg

Hi All,

I'm sure you've seen this kind of plea before. The title pretty much says it all.

I'm hoping someone will be kind enough to help me.

My son will be 17 on the 23rd of December and has been asking for a nitro/gas car and a decent H.O. train set for years. Aside from driver's ed to help him get his real CA driver's license, this year, they are the only two items on his Christmas/Birthday wish list.

He has been an RC car, plane, helicopter, boat, and train enthusiast since he was a toddler and is skilled at RC car driving, drifting, etc. He's been through a load of RC vehicles., battle bots, and the like.

He's a great kid and I want to get him something on sale today (Cyber Monday) at a reasonable price so that I don't end up giving him something cheaply built or lame. If I could buy a durable vehicle for a skilled driver who is new to nitro for half price or 40% off, I could actually get him something nice. I'd need to keep my total cost below $250.00. I can buy two at $150.00 each. I know it sounds like a tall order but anything is possible.

I need to know where to go and what to do to set him up with a gift he'll be happy with on his birthday and or Christmas. If the price is right, I may be able to purchse 2 different vehicles.

Here are the specs:

Needs to be durable
No minis - approx 12 (or so) inches long *What size should I be looking for?
RTR or nearly RTR
No rock-crawlers
Good suspension
Reasonable ground clearance (wants to drive on the street and off road)
Some sort of fender, bar, or front end protection for car
Not thrilled with monster trucks but doen't mind off-road trucks
Prefers race type cars or stunt cars, buggys are okay - sporty
Easy to repair or replace parts
Upgradeable
Decent run time and battery
Battery charger that won't ruin battery
advanced controls (if possible)


There are so many choices and I haven't the luxury of blowing money. We are a one income family living in costly Southern California. Any and all suggestions, tips, leads and insights are gratefully accepted.

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my request.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the upcoming holidays.

Have a Bountiful Day,
~Deb

WWW.Amainhobbies.com, 1/8 scale buggy would be great for your son. RTR is a good one to start,

[Get Real]

Thats a pretty tall order but there are a lot of options out there,mostly rtr electric cars will come in at that price point. Id suggest browsing amainhobbies as well... heres a link to the car section broken down by size,type,and power.. electric and nitro HERE,they also have coupon codes to help knock off a few bucks to get the price down a bit from whats listed. Also you could stop in a local hobby shop for suggestions to see what can fit your budget and needs. I was at a local shop the other day and a woman walked in looking for a christmas gift and she was looking at the rc cars on the shelf.. everything from micro cars for 100 bucks or less to nitro monster trucks for over 500 rtr. She came in with two requirements very similar.. a decent car and 200 max to spend on the gift. It made me smile watching this,she was in and out in less than 10 minutes and bought a helion dominus 10th scale 4x4 short course truck rtr,not a high end car by any means but decent and they go for $199.99. There are lots of pros and cons to nitro and a electric but im partial to electric myself,something i recently purchased thats in your price range is a losi mini 8 rtr. Its a pretty high end car and comes with a mediocre radio and nihm pack and wall charger but has good performance. A 50 dollar charger and some 10 dollar lipos later down the road will really increase the performance. A traxxas slash rtr will come in pretty close on price point as well and there popular,durable and would make a nice gift as well. I get messages quite a bit asking what should i buy etc on youtube? Recently it was should i get a 8th losi brushless buggy or a losi mini rtr.. which is more fun? I had to answer its what you like and what you can afford... those two cars are night and day in price and scale . Be sure and browse videos of what ever car you choose,see how they perform,whats popular.. i think we all know kids want what all there friends have,keeping up with the jone's and fitting in etc. If all his buddies run nitro and thats what he wants go nitro but mostly electrics are gonna be in the price point. Hope that helps.

Losi mini 8 i got a couple weeks ago with upgraded battery.

Losi Mini 8eight RTR 3s Lipo Quick Night Time Run (2 min 6 sec)

Stock pack and 2s lipo.

Losi Mini 8IGHT RTR Brushless 4wd Outdoor Running (2 min 6 sec)

Traxxas slash stock at the track,first time racing in 16 years .

Leisure Hours Raceway My First Slash Race 1-3-2009 (6 min 18 sec)

Video of a dominus from the local shop

HELION Dominus 10 SC 4x4 Overview And Quick Demo! (4 min 40 sec)

[Kmmac1705]

try a traxxass nitro sport from tower hobbies . with there discount i got one for $255 rtr . it is a starter nitro.