New car, what to look at

Hi,
I'm new with electric rc cars, i always drove a nitro on-road car.
Now i want to get in the electric off-road world :p
After alot of searching i found a couple of models that i realy like.
-Traxxas Rustler VXL
-HPI Bullet ST Flux
-HPI Trophy Flux Truggy

The HPI's have alot of aluminium parts.
Do the aluminium parts realy make a difference?
The Rustler and the Bullet are water-proof, is it realy that water-proof?
Some people tell me HPI isnt good, other tell me Traxxas isnt good. What do you guys think?

So whats the difference between those models, and wich would you recommend?

thanks

Aluminum parts aren't the best thing to have. They can bend pretty easily and are heavier than others. The "waterproof" aspect is referring to the electronics of the vehicle. Waterproof doesn't mean submerging it in water won't hurt it. Screws, engine, speed control, tires, etc. still aren't completely waterproof unless stated.

Rustler VXL is 100% waterproof but go to
http://www.rcscrewz.com/product_info.php/stainless-screw-kits-cars-trucks/traxxas-screw-kits/p/tra004-traxxas-rustler-stainless-steel-screw/cPath/1_332/products_id/550?osCsid=ab3a3a6d97dd35757e65caa0538556ed for screwz.
The deal with aluminum is that it looks 100 times better than plastic but it will bend from impact and if it doesn't bend then it will break the plastic that it is attached to. All you need to do for the motor is nothing really. Just take some paper towel and dry the heatsink and the outside. And for the tires, take some tape and put it on the little holes on the inside of the rims so no water gets in.
Hope this helps and O ya the screw kit is $27.95.

Get the rustler

i like the traxxas rustler better than the hpi ones
traxxas is waterproof all the way
aluminum parts do make a difference
they are more rigid and last longer than plastic
if you go on ebay there are a ton of them out there already
and check out buyrcstuff started by rcn
more people are starting to put out more cars and parts on there so there might already be some up on there

Speaking from my own experience knowing it depends on what you're looking for. Plastic is of course more durable, that's why it's in just about 95% of products sold these days Aluminum looks nice and does have an excellent finish, but I don't think it lasts longer than plastic. In terms of cold and heat, aluminum is a greater conductor of temperature so it would be worse.So i 'll suggest you that you buy a plastic made car which will be more durable than aluminum.

Regards.
Andy.