The other thing to set expectations on is the amount of dicking around getting a decent print takes.
I'd you have access to someone who can walk you through the initial setup, it's a lot less painful.
My printers are pretty much slice and click at this point, but I destroyed a number of parts on the first one when discovering what works by trial and error.
Short version is you can get a decent print out of almost any half decent printer, if you spend the time getting it set up.
Prusa i3 is a safe bet, as is Mendel max, I like the attention to detail in Nop heads Mendel 90 design, but they can be hard to get in the US, I also like the ultimaker, but it's out of your price range.
Thee are many other good options, I'd stay away from a rostock based design as a first printer, mine is my goto printer right now, but there extra hassle in initial calibration that can be very frustrating for a beginner.
If you're into RC the technical side shouldn't be an issue, but initial debugging can be a bear, it's often difficult without experience to determine if an issue is mechanical, electrical or software related.