Just bought my son a turnigy monster beatle from hobbyking.
All up cost for everything , RC car, charger, transmitter/receiver control unit, esc, (except batteries as they will not ship) was around $112usd.
Compared to the old Tamiya Hornet -- this is way cheaper (from memory the hornet setup was closer to $400), faster, 4wd, smaller battery yet significantly more powerful (lipo), brushless electric motor (amazing power for the size), better suspension/servo setup.
My only complaint is it does not come in kitset form as it is fun to assemble.
[edit] and the batteries are hard to come by and local retailers get all snarky when you try to buy a battery for an imported rc car)
So much fun, off to chase some cats.