Ptink,
Alrights! You're going to have so much fun with your Trueno and Propo Special controller. Like Adam pointed out in some of his posts, the gears in the Type R cars are enclosed, so you won't have to worry about cleaning out the carpet fuzz. As far as I know, you don't have to do any real maintenance on them. Just charge and play all day!
Learning to input the secret codes on the Special controller might be a little tricky the first time, so if you get stuck, just give a shout
Fourustwentius,
The I-racer isn't compatible with the DigiQs in any way, so you can't swap controllers. If you plan to buy a DigiQ, most of them come with a controller. The one Ptink is talking about, is a deluxe controller that you buy seperately. You can use it to fine-tune the car, like speed, turning, braking power... and there's code numbers you can type in that makes the car do some amazing tricks and stunts! Check out the DigiQ gallery and you'll see pictures of the controllers... the blue one with the computer screen is the deluxe Special controller