I would get an emaxx or erevo too. Out of the box the erevo is the more expensive option, but I feel that it has better durability, this is more personal bashing experience. I haven't officially raced them though.

I had a lot of fun upgrading my maxx to be a real big fast tank, but it cost a lot of money. The erevo is pretty damn agile out of the box too, which is a big advantage over the stock emaxx.

What sort of price bracket are we looking at here?

You are in Malaysia? How are RC prices over there? Actually I think I have an emaxx (3906) in parts, which I will happily send to you and your son if it means getting him into this awesome hobby. You would just have to cover the shipping cost. PM me about this.