Well, I think nearly every jumped right past the "start-up" portion of this thread. A person starting out in the hobby is likely not going to have ever run, or tuned a nitro car.

I say, if your only experience is electric tyco cars then a Stampede would be a very good bet. Especially now that they come with the 12t setups. Its easy to get parts for, easy to fix, and while not super tough, it seems to take its share of tumbles and crashes well for a starter car.