What you buy is totally dependant on what you plan to do with it. TrikeKid is right about crawlers. Nitro powered won't run slow enough or have enough bottom end to be effective crawlers, ever.
If you want a basher to go jumping over curbs and logs, and just flat haulin' a$$, I would recommend that you look closely at the Traxxas T-Maxx. This line of trucks revolutionized the industry by opening Nitro up to beginers with an easy to use platform. Electric has it's merits as well. It's simpler, quieter, and generally easier for a beginer to handle, but you are also stopping every 10 minutes to recharge the batteries. Nitro is messy, loud, sometimes tempremental, but you can gas and go right back out, without waiting. Plus the TMaxx is four wheel drive, and big enough to go over or through most things in your path.
There are merits to each type of system. The best thing you can do is a lot of research, combined with some evaluation of what you most want to do with your RC truck. But be careful, it is addictive.
