Rc cars ?

So my son is 10 now and I’ve always bought him cheaper Walmart grade rc cars. Those are boring and die off shortly after opening them.
I’m looking for something a step up from there, but not some crazy traxxis or gasser set up. Something fun for both of us, but under 150-200 bucks probably. More truck body and 4×4 that’s electric.
I know nothing about these things, besides I used to tinker with the gas cars back 15 years ago. Any info to go with or steer clear of helps

ive got 4 traxxas slash’s myself and a little track in my backyard. there a blast.

Here’s a few of mine I’ve had over the years. My neighbor buddy and his kids all have slash’s and so does my brother and his son. There a blast if you have a track to race each other. They get pretty boring if your by yourself and driving on the road. Traxxas is the easiest to find spare parts for because they have been around for so long

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Brings back memories, buddy had a couple nitro ones growing up. Fun stuff!

They even make the nitros anymore? I can still hear and smell those things ripping down the city streets.

I’m going to look in to the Traxxas slash, do you recommend 2 wheel or 4×4, I see the price almost doubled for the 4×4.

Guy down the road and his kids have a sweet track they are always playing on, I’ll have to go see if he wants to race.

I remember those cars as well beads. Brings back a ton of teenage memories

yea they still make nitros. electric is the way to go and alot less maint. and more reliable now days. i have two brushed 2wd slash’s and thats what my 8 year old son uses and mine are 4×4 platinums with alot of mods ive done. if you get anything brushless the 4wd is alot easier to handle. the 2wd brushed slash’s are good for a kid to start out with. i have a couple tackle box containers full of every part we ever need if we break something. then you have to think about the batteries. my son usually uses NIMH batteries and i use lipo 2S batteries in the brushless ones.

Ironic you brought this up. I just bought a traxxas slash 2wd. Little over 200$ Went brushed as it is plenty fast. Will build up to brushless when I get bored of this one. I wanted something zippy but easy to work on. Traxxas is made in Texas and I was told has great customer service. Most hobby shops have tons of parts. So far so good.

This is a great way to spend time and learn about repairing / maintenance of equipment that can help him in the future.

I did this with my son. He went the losi route with both 1:10th scale and 1:8th scale.

There are many options out there for you and your son to enjoy on a budget also.

If he really starts to get into this, check out local tracks. Great way to keep kids busy.

We have 5 traxxas electric r/c cars. 2 rustlers, stampede, 4×4 rustler and 4×4 slash and they are all fun in their own ways. 4×4 is easier to control but cost more and a little more maintenance. Your better to spend the money on hobby grade r/c cars because you can fix/replace all the parts. Never have to throw them away if you break something just replace the parts. I have a 25 year old rustler and the parts for that are the same as my newer ones.

Well I think I’m going to take a look at the Traxxas slash for him and I. Maybe I’ll order a pair for us instead of one.
Thank you guys for the advice. I’d rather have one that’ll last rather then another throw away

traxxas rigs come with great manuals and parts diagrams when you break something you can look it up easily and get the part number. everything is replaceable on them and will last a long time if you take care of them

heres a old video. my track is alot different now with different jumps and alot bigger berms

Go brushless.
You will get bored with a brushed motor fairly quickly and end up paying more in the long run.
You can set the ESC for beginners and then let out the full power after he learns to control the car/truck.

Ron

Some of the brushless are wicked fast. Almost too fast full throttle, but if you have the room then you may want to look at that option.
I feel like if me and my kid went any faster we would be making a lot of repairs. he seems to want to tag me and they tumble pretty good.
I am sure at some point I will move to brushless.

Everything you said is true, faster means more repairs.
I bought a brushed Stampede, went through 3 motors in a year, just replacing those cost me more than than going brushless right away. My brushless motor has lasted years and is waterproof.
BUT who does not need a 70mph electric truck with the right lipo batteries

You might check out hobby stores (e.g. Hub Hobby). They often have used RC euipment for sale on consignment… good way to get into good equipment at a lower price.

I have three RC cars. One electric kyosho ultima that is about 25 years old from college years, and a couple nitro’s. Last one I bought is a Traxxas Jato 3.3. That thing is pretty fast. They claim 0-60 in 4.2 seconds. It has a 2 speed gear case.

I just got my Nitro truck going. It sat for 15 years untouched. My brother’s boys challenged me to a race. Man, electric is the way to go today. Stick with something in the Traxxas line. Parts are easy to find for them and many parts are interchangeable. Electric is way easer than gas. Once I fixed / got all 4 wheels spinning it was a close race with the boys. Then my brother took out his electric Traxxas. That thing was impressive.

Watching the video takes me back to my slot car days with the ?/24 and the ?/32 cars on a grooved track in the second floor of the local “Hobby Shop”!
Ya, ok, fine, it was in the early 60’s.

You’re gonna go way over your $150-$200 pretty quick with a traxxas if he uses it alot. Stock parts break alot, but local hobby shops usually have plenty of parts or upgrades on hand. I dont wanna know what I have spent on my rustler.

I have two ECX amps for my boys – lower performance but they never break, and LHS usually have ecx parts if they did. Ecx does a good job with balancing durability and still being a hobby grade (repairable) item. They are also one of the companies that offers kit form where you build it yourself (which seems crazy to me because it was hugely educational back in the day when you had to build everything).

Also factor in the cost of extra batteries and a decent charger because one battery and the super slow wall plug gets old fast. Lipos are not cheap and require care, but they are amazing.

Be prepared to help him diagnose and fix stuff and to eventually buy yourself (a faster) one in the future.

Might as well plan on spending close to a grand if you want one for you and your son with extra batteries and a decent charger

A friend and I (and our sons) each got Slash models, 2wd and 4wd. We carved a track on some nearby property and make the occasional visit to the local skateboard park as well. $200 won’t last very long when you make the move up to hobbyist level RC cars; they move a lot faster which means they flip and crash and run into stuff a lot faster too. Plastic breaks.
The 2wd are plenty fun – especially when racing against other 2wd models.
The 4wd brushless is much faster, handles off road conditions better, and has the added bonus off being able to control the attitude in mid-air to land it on the wheels off big jumps.
Downside was we were breaking and replacing parts every single racing session. Then he added a Hoss and I picked up a Maxx…he’s still replacing parts after most sessions, but that Maxx is a freaking beast and has come through anything we can throw at it just fine.
For track racing or on-street running the Slash will serve you well, and the upfit models with 4wd and especially the ultimate with upgraded metal parts is a good investment. But if you are looking to jump and bash? Consider a Maxx.