Looking For A 4wd Buggy Thats Cheap And Good.

[kit352]

just starting to get back into the hobby after a 15 year absense. im gonna have to get everything from scratch, ive got nothing. im trying to keep costs down for now since i need to buy so much. im really behind in the times so i can buy older used stuff and be happy. the cars ive been looking at are the baja king, manta ray/dirt thrasher, and the rising storm. the only car i can actually see is the baja king at an lhs. the rest i have no clue on. im looking for the car that is a decent basher and can take hopups. im not gonna go crazy but ill end up doing a mild motor and suspension with bearings in whatever i get. itll be mostly used on trails and dirt roads. everything i read i get conflicting stories on each car. the important thing is i gotta keep it under $100 for the car it self with an esc. id go for the dark impact but its just to much for me right now. the baja king is by far the cheapest at $65 and teh others are around $95. id like some pro opinions. i have my specific concerns about each car but i want to hear from you guys.

[Wrc action]

Out of those I would say rising storm DF02,

the Baja king is dated and beset with problems in design and build strength compared to modern cars. the manta ray is similar and parts are not as readily avalible.

I would say go for the rising storm learn to drive and how to use it before going onto a dark impact/durga level buggy,

Cheers Ryck

[highflyer]

Yeah, the Rising Storm or Gravel Hound should suit well enough...

[HunterZero]

... or the new Plasma Edge DF-02, which is identical to the Hound, except for decals. And they're reasonably good value for money. They're a pretty tough car, but are lacking in ground clearance.

Seriously though, if you can stretch a few dollars more, the DF-03 (Dark Impact, Keen Hawk or Avante MkII) is a far better buggy.

- James

[Wrc action]

... or the new Plasma Edge DF-02, which is identical to the Hound, except for decals. And they're reasonably good value for money. They're a pretty tough car, but are lacking in ground clearance.

Seriously though, if you can stretch a few dollars more, the DF-03 (Dark Impact, Keen Hawk or Avante MkII) is a far better buggy.

- James

Agreed and a note on the new model shell. As its an identical chassis to keep ure costs right down unless u are overly bothered about the look of the buggy, which I wouldnt be as they all look the same I would say go for the older shells as there in variably about 10 cheaper overall.

Cheers Ryck

[gozone]

Now i dont know the prices in your area, but IF you have the option, you really should go for a Kyosho Lazer ZX-5.. Much more "racing-minded" and well running than any of the "beginner-level" Tamiyas.. Also, the Kyosho id available pretty cheap here in Denmark as a RTR-version..

Also, if you choose one of the Tamiyas, go for the DF-03.

Cheers.

Michael

[qatmix]

Tim tunnel have dirt thrashers still in stock. they are great value, fun to drive and spares are cheap (and you can hop em up alot over time to be like a Top force)

[Gruntfuggly]

I was going to say - the Baja Champ/King and the Manta Ray/Dirt Thrashers do offer good value for money and spares are easy and cheap to get hold of. Also - if you're going off road, I think the MR/DT have better ground clearance than the more recent buggies...

[yamita]

durga durga

[BCBasher]

As far as the Dirt Thrasher goes I bought one to turn into a truck because the long arms allow more gound clearance.

While i was waiting for smaller pinions to turn my 2.2 moabs I tried running it as a buggy with locked diffs. In a matter

of 1 battery I broke 3 dogbones racing a brushless Evader and an E-Maxx. I read the Top Force ones fit so I orderd 2 pair, hope that was right. The plastic and gears seemed durable enough considering the pounding I gave it, I was suprised all I broke was the bones. Overall it seemed like good bang for the buck and was reasonably quick for a $99.00 kit but those plastic ended dogbones suck. I hope that helps.

[kit352]

thanks for the info guys. im leaning towards the baja or the df02. the manta/thrasher seem to have worse motor mount issues and flex in the 4wd shaft than the others. the baja has the weak front suspension mounts and im not crazy about the exposed batt and motor but its the only one i can get at the lhs so id be supporting the local biz. its probably not the best car but i can get the parts easier than all the others and i can always buy the other cars later. the df02 is probably my best bet car wise but i havent seen one so im not sure what id be in for. so basically im now stuck between the baja or the df02 chassis. as long as the baja isnt super bad im probably gonna go with that one unless i convince myself otherwise.

[twisty]

DF02 vote here.

[kit352]

well im still looking but ive been able to find a gravel hound locally and still the baja. im really torn between the 2 right now. ive also come across a twin detonator too for the same price. im also rethinking the buggy idea as im now thinking a truck would be better for me. all the buggs ive seen have horrible ground clearance. makes me think about the ole blackfoot. id buy the subaru brat in a heart beat but its just too much money to justify. any suggestions?

[GTodd]

One vote for the Top Force, I am an old fashion kind of guy. Great buggy and can give all the new buggies a good run for their money. No problem with replacement parts or mods.

[Metla]

Get the DF-02, The Baja is a horrible, horrible, horrible buggy.

[federx]

i love this little thing

[94eg!]

We just finished my friends (Nayrproductions) Durga last night, and I must say it's simply the most solid buggy I've ever worked on. The thing is a tank. I've never seen such a solid chassis. And with the new design, you no longer have to worry about ripping suspension bits out of the gearbox. And even though the bell-cranks are not fully ball-raced (only the drag link has ball bearings) the steering has remarkably little play. The car even includes a full complement of 0.2mm shims of different sizes so you can set play however you like. It is slightly more advanced of a build as it uses machine screws in all the plastic holes. This means you better have nice & fresh #2 screwdriver bits on hand. Plus setting belt tension and getting the newly designed front wheels on can be a bit of a pain for a beginer.

The car even comes with 2 pinions (48 pitch), and #900 weight shock oil. Cant wait for the rain to clear up so we can get this thing off-road!

[federx]

We just finished my friends (Nayrproductions) Durga last night, and I must say it's simply the most solid buggy I've ever worked on. The thing is a tank. I've never seen such a solid chassis. And with the new design, you no longer have to worry about ripping suspension bits out of the gearbox. And even though the bell-cranks are not fully ball-raced (only the drag link has ball bearings) the steering has remarkably little play. The car even includes a full complement of 0.2mm shims of different sizes so you can set play however you like. It is slightly more advanced of a build as it uses machine screws in all the plastic holes. This means you better have nice & fresh #2 screwdriver bits on hand. Plus setting belt tension and getting the newly designed front wheels on can be a bit of a pain for a beginer.

The car even comes with 2 pinions (48 pitch), and #900 weight shock oil. Cant wait for the rain to clear up so we can get this thing off-road!

very good.

i'm planning to buy a durga next year.

i'm a ta05 user, so i think i should find fine with that durga.

the name durga sounds like some italian badword, ahahahahaha

[Rabiedmushroom]

Its only a little bit over your budget, but Stellamodels have got a good deal on the DF-03 Avante MkII for $110. Same chassis as the Dark Impact and Keen Hawk, but cheaper because its uglier. I've just bought one to keep me busy over Christmas! I'm going to hide the body with a funky paint scheme. I've seen some terrific reviews here about that chassis. I've seen a couple in action and they're very capable.