Newbie help
 

Right - I hope someone can help.

Had a nostalgic moment the other day remembering the Grashopper my friend used to have 20 years ago.

Decided to buy a buggy but want some help from those in the know.

I live in Newcastle, want to spend up to £200 all in, want to build the buggy and race it in the sense of turning up somewhere every other week and thrashing it round a track knowing I will be terrible but just there for the laughs and to use the thing.

Got to be electric.

Was going to just buy a Grasshopper or a Hornet for the memories but know nothing about other cars so don't know if I am over paying nor where I should buy from.

Would appreciate any advice in any form from anyone. Buying in November/December so don't hold back.

Thanks in advance.

Come along to TyneMet College on Monday night from 7pm, there are a few beginners so you can see what people are running

Your user name must give your location away? You might struggle to get everything for 200 pound!, there is a club in Seaham that runs buggies Sunday nights however it's not on for a couple of weeks.
Did you used to race anywhere?

Mondays at TyneMet? Will definitely do that.

Under £200? grasshopper comes in at £130 but not sure it is enough to be even vaguely competitive. Hornet about £160.

This is for fun and a laugh rather than serious racing. Plus if (when) I break it I don't want it to cost a fortune to repair.

Never raced before hence me being totally open to suggestions.

pop along and have a watch mate, someone might even let you have a go of a car, just promise to be careful and dont go flat out:lol: i dont think a grasshopper will be much fun compared to the serious stuff, extend the budget a little if you like it then get something that will be drivable:woot: :thumbsup: have a look at what others are running and buy 2nd hand to make it cheaper

Have a look at this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Associated...item5ae20e6caf
I know it's not the full version of the b4.1 but it is on budget for the guy & only needs a battery to put you on the grid :)
It would at least give you a idea if it's the kind of thing you want to do, grasshoppers & hornets have had their day & although you can have a lot of fun in the park with them they can't compete against todays cars
Whatever you choose have fun & enjoy it :)

I echo the other comments on here. I have only just got back into the sport after about 15 years out so know how you feel towards the grasshopper and hornet as I have fond memories of my madcap. :thumbsup:

However, these cars just won't cut it in today's world unfortunately...

Gainsy's suggestion of the B4.1 is a great one at just over your budget, but if £200 is your absolute max then you should look no further than the Ansmann Mad Rat. You can buy it RTR for about £110, cheaper than the grasshopper and hornet!! Even after you have bought a couple of batteries and a charger you will still have change from your £200.

As it comes straight out the box the car will give you a reasonable platform to start with and then over time you can upgrade things such as getting a brushless motor, upgraded shocks, lipo batteries etc and then you will have a decent club level car.

The difference with the Mad Rat over the two Tamiyas is that the Mad Rat is modern technology which you can upgrade to modern technology, where the other two will always struggle with the more modern cars.

Good luck, and enjoy! :thumbsup:

That should say 'modern technology which you can upgrade to be competitive.....'

newbie help for 200
 

All comments so far very solid and informed words, also consider that the Ansman Mad Monkey is well within your reach financially and this will allow you cheap access to the ever populer and super competitive side of mid motor 2WD. Both Mad Rat and Mad Monkey will be super easy to work on, fair priced spares and as others have commented will allow you to gradually upgrade as time (and track time) goes on.

The first buggy i ever raced was a Tamiya Boomerang back in the day and the world of 1/10 off road has moved fathams since then but something like the Rat or Monkey will ease you back in well.

Enjoy and happy searching

Madrat & monkey also excellent choices :thumbsup:

As someone who has just started down the buggy route, and blown my budget way out of the water - consider the following:

• Old tech doesn't mix with new tech very well (i've just learn't that in a practical way)
• What kind of buggy are you looking at and where will you race it? 2WD and 4WD have very different handling characteristics depending where you race them

You can save a whole load by going down the second hand route and applying a little patience. Remember whatever chassis you buy, spares are a major consideration and you are going to need them - so factor the spares into your budget.

£200 is certainly possible but you'll need patience. Had I employed patience, I would have saved a fortune and bought my Caster(s) only (2 chassis, 1 is a brushless RTR, the other 90% aluminum, spares, RC kit and NIMH batteries) with £104 remaining for lipos!

if your planning on just racing at club level (indoors) then ideally 4wd will be better, im new to the sport (and cant control my car to save my life) i went for a brand new FTX VANTAGE the car comes ready to run, although to play at club level you will need a better charger and another lipo battery

FTX VANTAGE £180 RTR from ebay (brushless version)
LIPO BATTERY £30 from ebay
IMAX CHARGER £35 complete from ebay........you will also need a set of new wheels and tyres for the sports hall to get some grip
WHEELS AND TYRES £20....SCHUMACHER YELLOW minipins or spikes

GRAND TOTAL OF £265 and once you learn to drive it should be fast enough....its still too fast for me:lol:

Sorry to sound like your wrong......but your all wrong:woot:, if the newbie is going to race where i think hes going to then a second hand B44 or B44.1 is the car he should be looking for, the posts about mad monkeys/rats etc are very good advice if you run at a track with grip, the newbie sounds like he will be running at a club mostly running touring cars and run on full slippy floor, a 2WD car simply wouldnt go around this track.

Get yourself on the for sale section and look out for a B44.1 or B44 and build stuff up as Sumilidon has said, keeping away from a Caster though!

You will 100% spend more than £200 for a full set-up, however you will enjoy the hobby so much more with some better kit! Enjoy!

The Caster was just to keep it well under £200 :).

This is the route i took, got myself a B4 and a B44 best thing i did as loads of people have either had them or own them so have plenty of people for help and advice (and spares :woot:)...........best thing i ever did :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Whats wrong with a Caster ????????? :lol:

I've ran mine a fair bit and for the money I can't fault it, doesn't go any worse than any of my previous cars, just need to spend some time building it correctly and making sure gearboxes are shimmed correctly.

And mr jesmond jester, if you have a look down to seaham next time it's on I'll fetch a couple of cars down for you to have a go of, might give you a better idea of what you want.

Peter

As Paul says, pop down to TyneMet on a Monday 7-10pm which will be the closest club to you before you go out and buy anything.
Agree with all the other comments that have been posted, anything 2WD won't be competitive, especially for a new driver, on an indoor wooden floor which is what most clubs run buggies on.

have to echo what everybody else has said. get yourself to a club and have a look at whats going on.
a grasshopper/hornet will be spot on for bashing around the back garden or down a park somewhere, but if your looking to race it (even just every now and then at club level) its no good.

Nobody runs them, nobody has parts available in their boxes, massive reasons I would think!

I would stick to somthing that other people run where you can get the help you need when there is a problem or spares are needed, b44/b44.1 would be ideal!