best nitro truck for under $300
07-04-2009, 12:37 PM
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best nitro truck for under $300
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
07-04-2009, 12:44 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
There is no best car. There is probably a car best suited to what you want, but there is no best. At you looking for a monster? buggy? truggy? racing? bashing? where will you be driving it?
07-04-2009, 12:53 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
GlassBullet brought up good questions.
Also, and especially since it's your first nitro, avoid the off-brands and knockoffs. The price may be tempting but you're way better of spending a few extra bucks for better instructions, better tools, parts support, and an engine that is easier to tune.
The MGT 3.0 seems to be discontinued, at least for the time being. The CEN Magnum NX looks good, as does the HPI Nitro Monster King (It's a hair over $300 and it's not on the market yet thought). But answer the questions mentioned and you'll get more targetted responses.
Also, and especially since it's your first nitro, avoid the off-brands and knockoffs. The price may be tempting but you're way better of spending a few extra bucks for better instructions, better tools, parts support, and an engine that is easier to tune.
The MGT 3.0 seems to be discontinued, at least for the time being. The CEN Magnum NX looks good, as does the HPI Nitro Monster King (It's a hair over $300 and it's not on the market yet thought). But answer the questions mentioned and you'll get more targetted responses.
07-04-2009, 12:57 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
for under $300, i believe that the thunder tiger [link=http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_44_50/products_id/17280/n/Thunder-Tiger-ST-1-4WD-RTR-1-8th-Stadium-Truck-Purple-Silver-No-Glow-Ignitor-Fuel-Bottle]ST-1[/link], it a great chassis. it is durable, known to be fast around the rack, and the motor can move it well. it isn't the ideal racer, but it can be raced, can be bashed, and if you want to do top speed, there is an optional 2-speed.
07-04-2009, 01:16 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
Yea from what I've heard the ST1 is a TANK and can be made in to a halfway decent racer with some mods. If you don't mind getting something used you would have a lot more options.
07-04-2009, 04:36 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
i will be using it for bashing only i would prefer a mt than a truggy. i will be driving on pretty much everything
07-04-2009, 05:22 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: rusty27
could you post a link for the thunder tiger st-1 please
could you post a link for the thunder tiger st-1 please
07-05-2009, 05:03 AM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
It will be tough to get a decent monster truck for $300 new, but not impossible.... Look around, my LHS has a losi raminator on sale for $319, so the deals are out there... you just have to look... Or go for a used truck, but that could backfire too, if you get a lemon...
Also dont listen to the guys that tell you a truggy is good for bashing, becuase a stock truggy is NOT a good basher. A truggy can be made into an OK basher, but you need to be pretty experienced in RC to do so, and its not free, and it will still be out of ist element, so I would say stick with a montster truck for now.
Also dont listen to the guys that tell you a truggy is good for bashing, becuase a stock truggy is NOT a good basher. A truggy can be made into an OK basher, but you need to be pretty experienced in RC to do so, and its not free, and it will still be out of ist element, so I would say stick with a montster truck for now.
07-05-2009, 06:52 AM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
I don't own one, but if I was looking for a MT under $300, I'd buy this:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXMPT0**&P=ML
and if I had a little more money, I'd buy this accessory:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXNFS7&P=ML
Only issue is you need to buy replacement parts from Tower; your Local Hobby SHop won't have parts, except common stuff like glowplugs.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXMPT0**&P=ML
and if I had a little more money, I'd buy this accessory:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXNFS7&P=ML
Only issue is you need to buy replacement parts from Tower; your Local Hobby SHop won't have parts, except common stuff like glowplugs.
07-05-2009, 09:21 AM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: dacaur
It will be tough to get a decent monster truck for $300 new, but not impossible.... Look around, my LHS has a losi raminator on sale for $319, so the deals are out there... you just have to look... Or go for a used truck, but that could backfire too, if you get a lemon...
Also dont listen to the guys that tell you a truggy is good for bashing, becuase a stock truggy is NOT a good basher. A truggy can be made into an OK basher, but you need to be pretty experienced in RC to do so, and its not free, and it will still be out of ist element, so I would say stick with a montster truck for now.
It will be tough to get a decent monster truck for $300 new, but not impossible.... Look around, my LHS has a losi raminator on sale for $319, so the deals are out there... you just have to look... Or go for a used truck, but that could backfire too, if you get a lemon...
Also dont listen to the guys that tell you a truggy is good for bashing, becuase a stock truggy is NOT a good basher. A truggy can be made into an OK basher, but you need to be pretty experienced in RC to do so, and its not free, and it will still be out of ist element, so I would say stick with a montster truck for now.
LOL...A Truggy makes an awesome basher...they are soo much better then any of the MT's..... more capable and more durable..... IMO Truggies make much better bashers then MT's simply because they are made tougher with much higher grade materials...they break way less and when they do break they are super easy to fix...........
here is a tiny light bashing video of my Truggy...this is a near stock MBX5T and it is owning all the Savages,Revo's and LST's I run with...in fact my entire group once ran MT's, but now that they see what Truggies can do they are all selling their MT's and buying Truggies...... MT's break, and they break often, they require constant repairs and upgrades, as a rule they are money pits ...and when comparing performance and capability a Truggy smokes a MT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtz4C6vpYcU
For $300 buy a used Truggy....forgoet about MT's, they are nothing more then a headache ! With a MT expect to spend all day wrenching, with a Truggy expect to spend all day running...
the pics here are a bone stock X2 CRT... no hoppups needed, tougher then a Savage, faster then a Revo
07-05-2009, 10:40 AM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
Lets hope this doesn't get into another 'Is RTV nitroproof thread.' But I agree with supertib, truggies DO make great bashers.
07-05-2009, 11:10 AM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: Chris_RC
Lets hope this doesn't get into another 'Is RTV nitroproof thread.' But I agree with supertib, truggies DO make great bashers.
Lets hope this doesn't get into another 'Is RTV nitroproof thread.' But I agree with supertib, truggies DO make great bashers.
right now we have a group of 9 guys bashing including myself.... 8 guys have MT's... LST2, LST XXL, Savage XL, Savage SS 4.6, Revo 3.3... And 4 of us have truggies 2 Losi 8T, 1 X2 CRT, 1 Mugen MBX5t, and 2 more guys have purchased mugen MBX5T's as well as one guy has ordered a 8T 2.0.... We bash the MT's and the Truggies together and its clear as day to everyone the Truggies are better.... so much so a few guys are now selling their MT's so they can concentrate on just the truggies...... I will be shooting video of us bashing all summer, so there will be no argument on whether a truggy makes a good basher.....The durability and ease of maintenance are where the Truggies really shine....
07-05-2009, 01:28 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: rusty27
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
07-05-2009, 01:43 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: savagecommander
my advice? stay away from the stampede- they seem kinda flimsy from what i could see. and dont listen to people tell you MT 's are money pits- not all of them are.
ORIGINAL: rusty27
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
And whenever I go to the track there are always a MT or 2 there. They range from t-maxx, mgt, lst2, revo, muggy, etc. and almost all of them break before the end of the day when my little buggy jumps 10x higher, handles 100x better, and are 1000x more durable, and you can get 1/8 buggies RTR cheaper than some MTs (revo, losi xxl, etc.).
07-05-2009, 02:01 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: savagecommander
my advice? stay away from the stampede- they seem kinda flimsy from what i could see. and dont listen to people tell you MT 's are money pits- not all of them are.
ORIGINAL: rusty27
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
You know, in a way you are correct.... As am I........ There is no question a MT will break down more then a truggy will... However the cost to fix them doesn't have to be too high if you know where to shop... In my day there was no no such thing as chop shops, or ebay wholesalers..I bought all my parts directly from the LHS for full retail pricing... If your paying retail pricing on your replacement parts your going to spend a small fortune on keeping some of these MT's running.... However if you know where to shop and do your shopping wisely you can buy replacement parts at extremely low prices.. Because of the huge number of MT's in the hobby and the huge demand for repair parts there is a very strong market for MT chop shops..which brings prices down lower and makes parts readily available....... However even if you buy your parts cheap, your still going to find you have to contend with breakage and large amounts of wrenching.... You will see once your trucks start to get some mileage on them that they will really start to wear out, and it will seem it is broken more often then it is running...A time will come when you will get extremely frustrated with the constant issues...At first wrenching is neat and cool, but after a while it will become tedious and annoying... especially when your replacing the same parts over and over again.....The biggest weakness on any MT is the drivetrain, which is the most labor intensive to fix, as well as the most expensive... this becomes even more of an issue if you decide to step up to a higher performance engine.. then you will be lucky to be able to run 2 or 3 hard tanks without some sort of drivetrain failure. whether it is dogbones, tranny gears or differentials, it will always be one thing after another........ MT's can be a ton of fun when they are running correctly, they are very cool and look awesome sitting on your shelf..... However the locked 4WD multi speed drivetrains are very prone to failure, too much load can be isolated on each end, which for me is a deal breaker.... I hate nothing more then having to rip apart a Savage to change a diff or tranny gear.....
A Truggy has a nearly bullet proof drivetrain, not only do most use higher grade steel gears, the design of a AWD system like they have allows the front and rear diffs to rotate freely from each other, so it allows extra power to be unloaded out the end with the least resistance...This greatly reduces the amount of stress each differential receives.... You can land on full power off a big jump with a Truggy and not hurt anything, the center diff allows the extra shock to be dispersed out the end with the least resistance.... So you can drive a Truggy like a Hooligan, jam on the brakes as hard as you want, land on power all you want , and put in as much HP as you desire, and the drivetrain will take it and keep on ticking..... Remember your drivetrain is the backbone of your RC, the stronger the drivetrain is , the more reliable the vehicle will be..... also as a bonus Truggies are extremely easy to work on, it takes only a minute or two to pull the differentials, and even less to change a control arm or knuckle... So even tho a truggy will break less often, it is going to eventually break, so its very sweet that they are extremely easy and fast to repair.....
I still like MT's and all, but when you add things up a truggy is just a more practical RC to run, You will have way more actual running and way less wrenching if you choose to go the route of the Truggy....
07-05-2009, 02:04 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: Chris_RC
So you haven't even owned the stampede, and your telling him to stay away from it? And MTs ARE moneypits. An example is the losi muggy. It isnt very durable stock and even when updated alot it is no match for truggies.
And whenever I go to the track there are always a MT or 2 there. They range from t-maxx, mgt, lst2, revo, muggy, etc. and almost all of them break before the end of the day when my little buggy jumps 10x higher, handles 100x better, and are 1000x more durable, and you can get 1/8 buggies RTR cheaper than some MTs (revo, losi xxl, etc.).
ORIGINAL: savagecommander
my advice? stay away from the stampede- they seem kinda flimsy from what i could see. and dont listen to people tell you MT 's are money pits- not all of them are.
ORIGINAL: rusty27
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
And whenever I go to the track there are always a MT or 2 there. They range from t-maxx, mgt, lst2, revo, muggy, etc. and almost all of them break before the end of the day when my little buggy jumps 10x higher, handles 100x better, and are 1000x more durable, and you can get 1/8 buggies RTR cheaper than some MTs (revo, losi xxl, etc.).
07-05-2009, 02:14 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: supertib
You know, in a way you are correct.... As am I........ There is no question a MT will break down more then a truggy will... However the cost to fix them doesn't have to be too high if you know where to shop... In my day there was no no such thing as chop shops, or ebay wholesalers..I bought all my parts directly from the LHS for full retail pricing... If your paying retail pricing on your replacement parts your going to spend a small fortune on keeping some of these MT's running.... However if you know where to shop and do your shopping wisely you can buy replacement parts at extremely low prices.. Because of the huge number of MT's in the hobby and the huge demand for repair parts there is a very strong market for MT chop shops..which brings prices down lower and makes parts readily available....... However even if you buy your parts cheap, your still going to find you have to contend with breakage and large amounts of wrenching.... You will see once your trucks start to get some mileage on them that they will really start to wear out, and it will seem it is broken more often then it is running...A time will come when you will get extremely frustrated with the constant issues...At first wrenching is neat and cool, but after a while it will become tedious and annoying... especially when your replacing the same parts over and over again.....The biggest weakness on any MT is the drivetrain, which is the most labor intensive to fix, as well as the most expensive... this becomes even more of an issue if you decide to step up to a higher performance engine.. then you will be lucky to be able to run 2 or 3 hard tanks without some sort of drivetrain failure. whether it is dogbones, tranny gears or differentials, it will always be one thing after another........ MT's can be a ton of fun when they are running correctly, they are very cool and look awesome sitting on your shelf..... However the locked 4WD multi speed drivetrains are very prone to failure, too much load can be isolated on each end, which for me is a deal breaker.... I hate nothing more then having to rip apart a Savage to change a diff or tranny gear.....
A Truggy has a nearly bullet proof drivetrain, not only do most use higher grade steel gears, the design of a AWD system like they have allows the front and rear diffs to rotate freely from each other, so it allows extra power to be unloaded out the end with the least resistance...This greatly reduces the amount of stress each differential receives.... You can land on full power off a big jump with a Truggy and not hurt anything, the center diff allows the extra shock to be dispersed out the end with the least resistance.... So you can drive a Truggy like a Hooligan, jam on the brakes as hard as you want, land on power all you want , and put in as much HP as you desire, and the drivetrain will take it and keep on ticking..... Remember your drivetrain is the backbone of your RC, the stronger the drivetrain is , the more reliable the vehicle will be..... also as a bonus Truggies are extremely easy to work on, it takes only a minute or two to pull the differentials, and even less to change a control arm or knuckle... So even tho a truggy will break less often, it is going to eventually break, so its very sweet that they are extremely easy and fast to repair.....
I still like MT's and all, but when you add things up a truggy is just a more practical RC to run, You will have way more actual running and way less wrenching if you choose to go the route of the Truggy....
ORIGINAL: savagecommander
my advice? stay away from the stampede- they seem kinda flimsy from what i could see. and dont listen to people tell you MT 's are money pits- not all of them are.
ORIGINAL: rusty27
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
this will be my first nitro.and was wondering for performance,speed,and durability what the best nitro truck is for under $300. i was looking at the cen magnum nx,associated mini mgt 3.0,and traxxas nitro stampede. i would prefer 4wd but 2wd would be fine. thanks
You know, in a way you are correct.... As am I........ There is no question a MT will break down more then a truggy will... However the cost to fix them doesn't have to be too high if you know where to shop... In my day there was no no such thing as chop shops, or ebay wholesalers..I bought all my parts directly from the LHS for full retail pricing... If your paying retail pricing on your replacement parts your going to spend a small fortune on keeping some of these MT's running.... However if you know where to shop and do your shopping wisely you can buy replacement parts at extremely low prices.. Because of the huge number of MT's in the hobby and the huge demand for repair parts there is a very strong market for MT chop shops..which brings prices down lower and makes parts readily available....... However even if you buy your parts cheap, your still going to find you have to contend with breakage and large amounts of wrenching.... You will see once your trucks start to get some mileage on them that they will really start to wear out, and it will seem it is broken more often then it is running...A time will come when you will get extremely frustrated with the constant issues...At first wrenching is neat and cool, but after a while it will become tedious and annoying... especially when your replacing the same parts over and over again.....The biggest weakness on any MT is the drivetrain, which is the most labor intensive to fix, as well as the most expensive... this becomes even more of an issue if you decide to step up to a higher performance engine.. then you will be lucky to be able to run 2 or 3 hard tanks without some sort of drivetrain failure. whether it is dogbones, tranny gears or differentials, it will always be one thing after another........ MT's can be a ton of fun when they are running correctly, they are very cool and look awesome sitting on your shelf..... However the locked 4WD multi speed drivetrains are very prone to failure, too much load can be isolated on each end, which for me is a deal breaker.... I hate nothing more then having to rip apart a Savage to change a diff or tranny gear.....
A Truggy has a nearly bullet proof drivetrain, not only do most use higher grade steel gears, the design of a AWD system like they have allows the front and rear diffs to rotate freely from each other, so it allows extra power to be unloaded out the end with the least resistance...This greatly reduces the amount of stress each differential receives.... You can land on full power off a big jump with a Truggy and not hurt anything, the center diff allows the extra shock to be dispersed out the end with the least resistance.... So you can drive a Truggy like a Hooligan, jam on the brakes as hard as you want, land on power all you want , and put in as much HP as you desire, and the drivetrain will take it and keep on ticking..... Remember your drivetrain is the backbone of your RC, the stronger the drivetrain is , the more reliable the vehicle will be..... also as a bonus Truggies are extremely easy to work on, it takes only a minute or two to pull the differentials, and even less to change a control arm or knuckle... So even tho a truggy will break less often, it is going to eventually break, so its very sweet that they are extremely easy and fast to repair.....
I still like MT's and all, but when you add things up a truggy is just a more practical RC to run, You will have way more actual running and way less wrenching if you choose to go the route of the Truggy....
07-05-2009, 02:27 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
Well, whatever you decide to buy, buy something your LHS has parts for. While its all well and good to buy your parts from Internet chop shops, when you break something on thursday, and then have ti wait till wednesday for parts, that SUCKS. Big time. When I don't NEED parts right now, I don't mind getting them off the net, But when my truck is down (which so far with my LST XXL hasn't happened) I want the parts TODAY so i can get back to driving!!!
07-05-2009, 03:30 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
well, working on your ...... whatever you have, is part of the hobby. if you dont like workin on it, you shouldnt be in it. i'll change my answer- save your money and buy a savage.
07-05-2009, 05:26 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
ORIGINAL: Chris_RC
The thing is, if you have a MT, it takes about 30 mintues to get to key parts (servos, diffs, clutch, etc.) while on a truggy it only takes about 3 minutes to get to the clutch, 5 minutes to get t the diffs, 4 minutes to get to the servos and radio tray, etc. My friend had a savage x, it was nothing but problems. He got out of the hobby because of it. The overall build of the truck was not up to my quality standards.
well, working on your ...... whatever you have, is part of the hobby. if you dont like workin on it, you shouldnt be in it. i'll change my answer- save your money and buy a savage.
07-05-2009, 05:46 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
And another example Losi Muggy.felt cheap and barely adequate for jumping 5 feet in the backyard, another example of a MT. They just feel cheap unless you mod them to be a decent truggy.
07-05-2009, 06:04 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
I normally don't stay things like of this nature.. But this is one of those dime a dozen questions, use the search function and be a bit more proactive in finding the answers you're looking for.
Look around the forums here. There are forums for Nitro MT's, Truggies, ST's... Even make specific like HPI, Traxxass, Losi.
Spend some time reading them.. See what kind of questions other people are asking, and what people have to say. Look specifically for stuff pertaining to the technical side. Meaning- how easy/difficult is maintenance on a specific vehicle? What are the weak spots that are prone to breaking down?
Then, if at all possible walk into a Hobby Shop and take a look at the Vehicles they have in stock. Pick 'em up and "kick the tires". Look at what kind of parts availability they have, ask the guys questions to see how much they know about what they have in stock. Get what looks/feels comfortable to you. If you look at a truck and think you'd not enjoy wrenching on it- Look at something that may be a bit more user friendly.
Don't walk into it looking for the best. You're not going to get a straight answer- and as you can tell already these threads tend to turn into debates based around each persons particular tastes.
I've owned several different vehicles made by different companies. They've all had their merits and drawbacks. The key thing is though, that I've enjoyed them all.
One of the best pieces of advice so far has come from Sheograth- Avoid knock off companies. Spend the extra 50 bucks. Quality has it's price sometimes, but in the long run the higher initial cost will save you money down the road...
Look around the forums here. There are forums for Nitro MT's, Truggies, ST's... Even make specific like HPI, Traxxass, Losi.
Spend some time reading them.. See what kind of questions other people are asking, and what people have to say. Look specifically for stuff pertaining to the technical side. Meaning- how easy/difficult is maintenance on a specific vehicle? What are the weak spots that are prone to breaking down?
Then, if at all possible walk into a Hobby Shop and take a look at the Vehicles they have in stock. Pick 'em up and "kick the tires". Look at what kind of parts availability they have, ask the guys questions to see how much they know about what they have in stock. Get what looks/feels comfortable to you. If you look at a truck and think you'd not enjoy wrenching on it- Look at something that may be a bit more user friendly.
Don't walk into it looking for the best. You're not going to get a straight answer- and as you can tell already these threads tend to turn into debates based around each persons particular tastes.
I've owned several different vehicles made by different companies. They've all had their merits and drawbacks. The key thing is though, that I've enjoyed them all.
One of the best pieces of advice so far has come from Sheograth- Avoid knock off companies. Spend the extra 50 bucks. Quality has it's price sometimes, but in the long run the higher initial cost will save you money down the road...
07-05-2009, 06:04 PM
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RE: best nitro truck for under $300
the savage x has the 4 bolt diff housing and only has four bolts to get the motor out. how was this a problem? - good point on the parts availability, my lhs always has a bunch of parts. i never broke anything though.