R/C Advice?

[Sumpter250]

Is $3-500 appropriate for an 11-year-old?

Well, yes and no. She's been on about it for a year, so to me, that indicates a good interest. Some of the less expensive stuff cannot be repaired, and does not perform well out of the box. So those are two things that could turn a kid off an activity pretty quick. I am trying to find a decent compromise - say in the range of $200, which a lot of people will throw at a bike, an X-Box, hockey gear, etc, without even thinking. Thanks,
Andrew

If she is truly interested, a cheap toy will most likely "dis-interest" her.
Any hobby can be a valuable learning experience, and one that can develop, mechanical, thinking, and planning skills that can't be learned, without more difficulty or expense, elsewhere.
She would only have to break 11 of those cheap cars to equal the price of a good one, and the cost of repair would be an incentive to learn how "not-to-break".
Most of the " usual "repair parts for RC cars, cost far less that $17.95, and can be installed by the owner, for only the time it takes to do the job.
$3-500 , is a very reasonable price for all the " life lessons " that can be learned, ( and taught ).
as in all things, there is a bigger picture