Totally agree with you. Horizon Hobby is a multi-brand company. Arrma, Losi, Axial, Spectrum, Dynamite, Onyx, Proline ... are all Horizon Hobby and you will end up with some of their products at some point.
I've heard similar complaints about Traxxas business practices. The story is LHS was...
Thinking about the $150 budget for an RTR.
You can find Mini-Zs all day long and they have a following. However, they are tiny and a touch better than toy grade. Tamiya is good stuff, but I (me personally) find them a bit fragilled compared to Traxxas or Arrma.
Tomly RC reviews a lot of...
Too bad the Vendetta is disco.
1/8 scale Arrma infraction. It can be upgraded to brushless when you want to faster.
https://www.arrma-rc.com/en/product/1-8-infraction-4wd-mega-resto-mod-truck-rtr/ARA4215V3.html
Traxxas is great but you're not likely to find a 1/10th scale or large for $150...