Depends what you are looking for in RC. If its just to go fast and bash around probably not Tamiya. Personally though, I would get Tamiya, a TT02. It's simple to build, will be slow enough for a beginner to learn and upgradable as ability improves.
At my local club we have a TT02 class. Completely stock, motor, tyres all the same and no mods. After a very short time we now have 2 heats worth of TT02s
Will take a look, if it ain't built for smashing that is ok, just need to be sure he understands that lol.