What about a couple of
these or
these?
They're the same as the VXL editions minus the brushless ESC and motor. You could upgrade these later if wanted, but they'll be plenty fast enough at first.
For just under $200 you could have a
Traxxas Rustler, which, again, isn't brushless, but you can upgrade this later. However, the Rustler is far bigger, more durable and more versatile than the 1/16 scale cars.