What's the best 'Bang for Buck' buggy?

[SteveU30]

I know this type of question has been asked a million times but I'm interested in buying a decent handling basher buggy that I can put a fairly powerful brushless system in without spending a lot of money. Ideally I'd like it to be Tamiya and if possible, reasonably maintenance free although I'm not scared of rebuilds.

What do people recommend in this category?

[dutch_rc]

I'd go for a Manta Ray (with gear diffs when it comes to maintenance), or at least the chassis it's on.

Needs some small mods to address the flaws though (but what car doesn't)...

[Percymon]

I'd say my DF-03

PM me if interested Steve

[Axeboy]

Surely the Neo Fighter must be up there?

Not sure to what level of power it'll take but with regards to performance for the money I think its superb

[XV Pilot]

In terms of bang for the buck, surely the DB01 deserves a mention, being quick and tough enough for full-on racing, without costing anywhere near as much as a TRF.

However as a general budget basher, the DF01 and DF02 buggies are my favourites, although I quite like the idea of the TT02B with DF02 diffs. (In my mind the TT02B is far more of a successor to the DF02 than the DF03 could ever be, despite its name.)

[vrs55]

I would agree with xv pilot on the durga it was my first rc I bought thanks to xv pilots advice its been great had it since last august and only thing I have had to replace was a hub hex that had split was also a very fun build

[kaylon]

My Tamiya choices would be...

2WD

DT-03: £90 Base, £140ish Hop-ups. Great value and a fair choice of hop-ups. It uses new materials and has a far better design over the DT-02 (which is still great mind you)

The Hornet: £99 Base. It's a classic. Has excellent history and spares, it's a bit bouncy but a shed load of fun.. With the normal options and upgrades it's a great buggy.

4WD

TT02-B: £99 Base, £150ish Hop-ups. I love mine. It's a great kit and has some excellent hop-ups. It's very tunable so can bash and race.. and I mean really race, It's a very decent club level racer.

[SteveU30]

Hmm, all of these I have read about before so that's reassuring. Some things I've noted for a couple of the mentioned chassis are reliability on the DF-03 (diff problems was it?) and ground clearance on the TT-02B (due to it being a touring car chassis first). Any comments on those two points?

I should have mentioned that I already have a hopped up DT-02 but am looking for something more capable and (probably) 4WD?

[XV Pilot]

Hmm, all of these I have read about before so that's reassuring. Some things I've noted for a couple of the mentioned chassis are reliability on the DF-03 (diff problems was it?) and ground clearance on the TT-02B (due to it being a touring car chassis first). Any comments on those two points?

I should have mentioned that I already have a hopped up DT-02 but am looking for something more capable and (probably) 4WD?

I don't know of any known issues with the DF03 diffs, but I have seen several DF03s lose their front ends due to the relatively weak attachment between the main tub and the front bulkhead. This is the main reason I have held off adding one to my fleet.

The TT02B has similar ground clearance to the DF02, and like the DF02, it can easily be raised by fitting longer shocks and/or standard size buggy wheels and tyres. (The stock ones are quite small.)

[Gruntfuggly]

Stadium Thunder. Unless it really has to be a 'buggy'...

[lawdog]

Hmm, all of these I have read about before so that's reassuring. Some things I've noted for a couple of the mentioned chassis are reliability on the DF-03 (diff problems was it?) and ground clearance on the TT-02B (due to it being a touring car chassis first). Any comments on those two points?

I should have mentioned that I already have a hopped up DT-02 but am looking for something more capable and (probably) 4WD?

I think you're recalling the issues with the aluminum mainshaft gear...it is pretty soft and prone to wear, especially if you go brushless, Five Stars made a steel replacement, but it's discontinued and rare as hens teeth nowadays.

[Flerbizky]

Lunchbox (-:

[mr crispy]

How about a TL01B Baja King? I know it's an older design but it's a lot of fun, robust and there's plenty of hop ups for it. Good ground clearance and the standard super grippers are great on anything but hard surfaces... actually they're pretty good there too but they don't last long. It's cheap, fast and with brushless you shouldn't have any over heating issues.

About the only minus I can think of is the battery slot is the old round type so not good for large lipos... but you own a dremel right?

[SteveU30]

 

I think you're recalling the issues with the aluminum mainshaft gear...it is pretty soft and prone to wear, especially if you go brushless, Five Stars made a steel replacement, but it's discontinued and rare as hens teeth nowadays.

Yep that's what I was thinking of, thanks

[SteveU30]

Lunchbox (-:

Already have one, an I love it but I'm after a buggy here thanks.

[BigSteve]

For what it's worth in my opinion the DF-03MS has got to be good value. A wealth of hop ups as standard including the lovely TRF shocks, UJ's and turnbuckle sets. From what I understand as long as you take care of the diffs they hold up fine.

The TT-02B has a wealth of cheap hop ups(HK prices). Mine has alloy prop shafts and cups and handles a 20 turn brushed motor with no issues. Just fit DF-03 wheels and tyres and ground clearance is improved.

DF-02 is a very capable chassis with plenty of hop ups readily available.

On a side note the DT-03 (just over £60 delivered from German seller) is, in my opinion, really good value for money compared to the likes of the Hornet. Again plenty of hop ups available and although it looks a bit quirky it's actually really fun to drive. It also handles better than the original Frog and spends less time on its roof lol.

Steve.

[Gruntfuggly]

Another minus for the TL01B is the fact that the battery is really exposed - it will take plenty of damage if you're bashing, and you almost definitely don't want to have a lipo hanging out of the sides...

Apart from that, the TL01B is pretty bullet proof - it's just a bit limited with gearing options. And the suspension mounts are built into the chassis. Apart from that it's OK... 8-) It's very light though so you'll get plenty of speed out of it!

A bit left field, but you could also consider a Thundershot - robust, low maintenance, should handle brushless easily. Only needs an alloy A5 and it's rock solid (if a tad ugly)...

[JeepnMike]

What brand can you buy parts for in your local hobby shop? Are you sure you want 4WD? The amount of maintenance and breakage seems to go up significantly with a 4WD car. On the other hand, my favorites to drive are 4WD.

I know I harp on it, but local parts availability is huge.. If you buy a kit you can buy parts from your local shop, it is so much easier, and a lot cheaper!

[Wooders28]

I think you're recalling the issues with the aluminum mainshaft gear...it is pretty soft and prone to wear, especially if you go brushless, Five Stars made a steel replacement, but it's discontinued and rare as hens teeth nowadays.

I couldn't find the five star for love nor money.

You can make one out of a hardened pinion gear and press it on.Mine has lasted ok with 5700 castle brushless and 3s lipo! Replaced diff balls with tungsten (£3 find off eBay!).

Apart from stuff breaking due to 3s lipo and crashing,the DF03 has been good.

[Wooders28]

By mine I mean the hardened pinion I pressed on.

[taliesin]

I would be very tempted by the TT02B Neo Scorcher just because it is fairly new, 4wd, cheap and cheerful, and could be bashed with a clear conscience. If you destroy a few parts with excess power or exuberance then you have the perfect excuse to upgrade - and parts and hop ups are readily available.

Lipos will fit inboard and aren't exposed like the TL-01 and DF-01 buggies. Doesn't seem like a bad basher buggy and if you're not going to be racing it, why not? Just my two cents worth. Happy shopping!

[MAD RACER]

Yep the TT02B is a awesome platform for the price.

Need to add bearings and alloy gears. You can get away with just the alloy bevel drive gear which is cheaper..

As Talieson said parts are cheap & plentiful.. Better longer throw alloy shocks transformed mine & with a 8.5T it's like a Cat with a bucket of water thrown on it.

[mike_o]

I just got a TT-02B after a period of RC car inactivity, and I like it i lot. Taliesin put it very well: "it is fairly new, 4wd, cheap and cheerful, and could be bashed with a clear conscience"

Despite having owned 3 DF-03s, I can't really say that I like that platform. Even without anything breaking, it's a pain to fit ESC and wiring in the cramped tub without anything getting caught in the drive shaft or disturbing the body shell. Also, accessing the battery/connector is more difficult than on any other RC car I've had. But the DF-03 does run well.

The DB-01 is a sweet running car, but with it's belt it's overly complicated, and you always wonder if a piece of rock managed to find its way into the tranny :-)

[HunterZero]

+1 DB01 Durga/Baldre. Great for bashing, good enough to be a club racer. The belt drive line is not overly complicated, it is pretty well sealed and is very tough. It is very reliable, so long as you don't push too powerful a motor through it (which can result in belt tension, spur pulley and ball diff problems) without a properly adjusted slipper clutch and TRF or gear diff part upgrades.

But for the price, you can't beat this (and the R and RR variants).

- J

[SteveU30]

Yep the TT02B is a awesome platform for the price.

 

Need to add bearings and alloy gears. You can get away with just the alloy bevel drive gear which is cheaper..

 

As Talieson said parts are cheap & plentiful.. Better longer throw alloy shocks transformed mine & with a 8.5T it's like a Cat with a bucket of water thrown on it.

I think I've narrowed it down to just the DF-03 (I do like the look of the Dark Impact) and the TT-02B now.

What people have said about how easy it is to raise the ride height on the TT has me very interested though. What alloy shocks did you put on yours MAD RACER?