Hi Greg,
I was in the same boat a month back and can assure you that you are in the right place for help.
On the car, I bought a Mad Rat brushless and quickly put it on ebay again. The main reason for this was that although yes it was value for money, I could do much better going second hand to get a car already hopped up. You are right to go kit form and supply your own electrics as it is not too fast out of the box and the speedo is rather basic.
I ended up going retro due to budget with a brushed Mardave cobra but still ended up with a quicker and more robust car.
All down to budget I guess, good luck.
Eddie