More competition by combining numbers (especially at the greenhorn end of the scale!) would be no bad thing
True about the brushless motors and LiPo - I've been researching cheaper ESCs and the safer and even more long-lived LiFePO
4 chemistry batteries which will eventually succeed LiPo. The sensored 60A ESC and 11.5T motor I was using last Thursday (which was not shamed by the various Losi and other brushless kit there) cost me £52 (by auction - they've since been going for a bit more) off a HK eBay trader, and there are other higher-spec ESC models out there without suppliers in the UK/Ireland. Once brushed kit has been pushed out of the low-end of the market, brushless kit will take it's place.
It's cheaper than it used to be, but I still contend it's not a cheap hobby for a new starter, as I've found, despite my extensive bargain-hunting on eBay and the net in general. It was the reason I gave it up (bashing, not even racing) as a lad 20 years ago.
Atm, cost of entry using only new kit would be around £250-£300 (£150 for a decent buggy kit, £55 for a EZRun brushless kit off eBay, radio, LiPo and charger the rest at a push - still a princely sum!) - once a few decent brushless RTR buggy kits become available, that may come down a bit. Getting the radio and a roller 2nd hand is usually a good idea, knocking the best part of £100 off that. The only really raceable RTR 4wd buggy kit out there now is the Kyosho ZX-5 - we have one young member who regularly leaves pieces of his ZX-5 lying around the track. Ansmann are coming out with a 2wd race-standard buggy for around £100 (kit) - hopefully they'll release a 4wd too.
Consensus within the experienced club members is that it's the initial start up costs (including purchase mistakes due to inexperience and ignorance) rather than running costs that are high, though.