Hello Steve, whereabouts are you and which is your local club ?
Club members are always the best route to finding out which is the best kit for you as there are all ranges of standards & wallets there to ask advice from
There are also model shop owners at Swansea & Caldicot, possibly COBRA too if you want to buy local.
I would advise going brushless & Lipo straight from the get-go though, it really does make your life so much easier - no worrying about brushes or comms or over using your batteries each clubnight and no drop of performance like the old days
You can pick good stuff up here on o0ple for a good price tbh, and club members are always shifting kit at fair prices.
Best bet is to go to another clubnight and see what people are running and what would be the best for you at your price range.