[MountainMax]

Thanks for the input everyone. Good stuff. One thing I didn't mention is a trick I learned from modifying my truck/Jeep/ATV/snowmobiles is to figure out where you want your machine when its finished and build to that point. It a lot cheaper, for me, in the long run because I'm not constantly doing minor upgrades and pitching used stuff in the trash. Using my sometimes irrational logic, I would probably want to do a majority of the upgrades upfront. Downtime with broken parts kills me.
After exhaustive reading I'm also considering an Evo. Realistically, how far is RC-Mike from releasing a product for the average DIYer to bolt something together with a Revo chassis?
I'm sure proposing a Revo roller sale to the LHS will just produce a few blank stares, but maybe I can bolt the spare parts to a rollerblade or something (just kidding! Please, no replies on the problems associated with that idea).

Thanks again everyone for your input.