Well, if $2,600 is 1/8 scale, that's not TOO bad.



Don't BUY stuff yet though....its better to wheel it stock-ish for a while to see what it and you, can do, and, where you find, for YOU, that improvements are in order.

If you buy a whole bunch of stuff at once, typically, later, you see OTHER stuff, and say "Damn, if I'd KNOWN I was going to XYZ, I wouldn't have wasted time and money on ABC".



A build PATH is the best route...and its typically hard to know what you need until you see it NEEDED.



Some exceptions can be made for guys who have gone through the process, and get the X knowing what they need for it already...but that's a headstart.

What works in NJ Pine Barrens might not cut it in Moab, and what works on slick rock at Moab might leave you stranded in the NJ Pine Barrens, etc.

You modify with the expected terrain in mind too.