I would agree in an ideal world a 7.5 brushless is the way to go. When I started racing again last year I'd forgot how much troubles motor brushes, springs & cleaning could be. Keep an eye our for something secondhand maybe in the forsale section.
As Rich points out though, there are many people selling off brushed equipment at the moment.
When you car was running though, you seemed to be getting it around the track well for a beginner
