noname227 March 19, 2025, 4:48 p.m.

Which best rc car under $100 actually survives more than one battery pack?

Just blew through THREE supposedly "durable" RC cars from Amazon in less than two months. Each one dead in different ways - first motor burned out, second stripped all gears, third just... stopped responding completely?

Starting to think this whole under $100 category is disposable garbage designed to break. Kid next door has same cheap-looking car for a year now with zero issues so clearly SOMETHING in this price range must actually work.

Seriously considering giving up and spending 3x as much on hobby grade, but figured I'd ask here first before tossing more money away. What budget RC car has actually lasted for you people? Ideally something that can handle dirt/grass but at this point I'd settle for "survives basic use" on any surface.

Madrahim March 19, 2025, 9:41 p.m.

What surfaces u driving on? Concrete eats plastic wheels faster than anything. Cheapest fix = tennis court surfaces = smoother than pavement + less wheel wear + longer car life

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Dptvgxlkk March 20, 2025, 6:01 p.m.

lmao welcome to rc purgatory. the $100-150 range is literally the worst. either go super cheap ($30 toys u expect to break) or save for $200+ actual hobby grade. nothing between worth owning

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qqqq March 21, 2025, 10:17 p.m.

pics of broken cars or didn't happen

my $60 truck survived roof drops for tiktok vids

maybe operator error????

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Titanic March 22, 2025, 12:53 a.m.

um hello... maintenance?? these aren't apple products that magically work forever

clean motors after runs
proper battery storage
tighten screws regularly
lube moving parts most "$50 car broke immediately" complaints = zero maintenance users

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Gogle March 22, 2025, 3:01 p.m.

!! water destroys electronics !!

!! sand destroys gears !!

!! concrete destroys tires !!

!! children destroy everything !!

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qwertyuiop[ March 23, 2025, 7:46 p.m.

Finally smth i know! Our scout troop runs HAIBOXING 1:18 all terrain car. 8-10yr olds absolutely TORTURE them weekly. Only parts needing replacement = shock caps when they jump from picnic tables. Reasonably priced, shockingly durable

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Marta March 25, 2025, 7:37 p.m.

Nobody mentioning batteries???? Stock batteries = always garbage. Car itself fine probably but included batteries = fire hazard + performance killers. Upgrade batteries first thing

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dibo March 26, 2025, 12:55 a.m.

TRUTH. Stock battery = maybe 20% capacity advertised. Car struggling to move = motor strain = burned electronics. $25 zeee lipo pack completely transforms budget cars. Night/day difference!

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MatthewOW March 28, 2025, 6:59 p.m.

i just binge watched rc saylors channel last week after similar frustrations. his "rc cars under $50 challenge" series pretty eye-opening about which budget brands actually survive abuse

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raln March 31, 2025, 11:25 a.m.

No 1 saying obvious? RC cars not toys nemore. Like buying gaming pc vs calculator. Hobby grade exists bcuz physics + materials + engineering = $$$$. Cheap stuff = cheap materials = breaks. Simple

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.................. April 5, 2025, 8 p.m.

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Have you tried NOT driving it like you stole it?

My 7yo has same Amazon car for 2yrs

Crazy thought: maybe don't crash into walls repeatedly?

Proper driving technique > expensive upgrades

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iphone6 April 11, 2025, 4:41 p.m.

Bought 1:24 Dodoeleph drift car after much research. Surprising quality differences between seemingly identical "toy grade" cars. Trick = finding ones using standardized parts from established manufacturers vs completely proprietary designs. Repair/part availability = key factor

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foreverjdi April 18, 2025, 9:30 p.m.

$100 budget → skip cars → get crawler

s l o w e r ➡️ less stress on parts

gear reduction → less motor strain

crawlers work on more surfaces
obstacle courses = more creative fun
battery lasts 5x longer per charge

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