Buy an RTR MRC or build one up?

[JVS]

Hey all, long time reader, first time poster here. I've been bitten by the crawler bug a few times over the past couple years but the disease never took hold.......until now, I just can't fight it anymore.

I'm looking to get into my first crawler soon and after deliberating over the MRC, LNC, LCC and AX10 kits, I've come back around and landed on the MRC. Smaller scale, cheaper parts, etc...

I'm not going to be comping, but I would still like a tight, capable rig. I've read a fair bit on the MRC and the general consensus seems to be that it needs a lot of love out of the box. (aside from the usual battery repositioning and tranny flip)

So my question to you pros is this: should I buy a RTR MRC, the pro version and motor/esc combo, or go for broke and start from the ground up with a chassis, axles, etc. Is building one from the ground up financially viable? or is it going to end up costing me a lot more than the RTR or pro?

I love the look of so many of the aftermarket chassis and I'm a big fan of the 1.9 flat irons from a looks perspective.

my budget is around 300-350 (not the 200 I told my better half)

thanks for reading