You and me both!.
Love my XR ( when I get it out that is). There was an unopened kit build on eBay for ages - not sure if that's still about?..
To the OP: You could always get the bully kit build and add your own bits slowly - or start with cheaper gear... Though tbh, the rtr price whilst costly isn't that bad with the gear on to start with...
The only cheaper way would be to build a 2.2 sporty (1 motor on the skid) yourself. Pick a chassis, use an ax10 box, cheap motor, scx axles etc.. They're pretty good fun. You can find a Losi Nightcrawler on eBay occasionally - they're pretty cool.
EDIT: Actually, I've still got some spare 2.2 gear new and used if you decide to go that route..