My take on the New vs used…
If you want the piece of mind and can buy new, do so. If you are looking to save a few hundred and know the history of the engine, do so.
It’s really hard to tell someone what they should or shouldn’t do with this engine package. In the realm of racing it is about as low as you can get. I know guys shelling out more racing R/C cars!
The comments about “built” or “builder” engines being faster, that is only the case if the person pulling the new one out of the box doesn’t know how to set up the carb, valves and/or breaks the engine in wrong.
I can set it up myself but I do have Jim Frantz of Faster Motors go through mine when I buy a new one, 2 in 6 years, just to make sure its up to par out of the box. For Roughly $100-$150, he will set it all up, break in and dyno it. I liken it to insurance. If there is something wrong out of the box we know right away. Though I don’t think Jim has ever had a “bad” one. For the record the first one we bought was sold last year ready to race for $450. Still made the same power as my new one. I had kept it as a spare. But we race 206. Who needs a spare!?
The most speed you are ever going to find racing 206 is in the set up and driver. I would bet a really good tuned engine vs an average tuned is .3-.4HP. Get yourself tuned up and that difference will never be seen.