I hear the cool mini racer to get is are the Epochs. A complete full on R/C car that fits in the palm of your hand. It's about 4 inches long. Suspension, proportional et al.
A mini Helicopter will run about $400/$500 for a basic ready to fly setup. The basic kits are generally about $200. Then you have to buy servos, electronics, gyros, etc. The $400/$500 will get you everything you need in one kit. There's also aftermarket parts. A lot of these are just done by other hobbiest. Carbon fiber blades, aluminum (instead of plastic) hubs and collective pitch kits. If you deck out one of these, I can't think of what it can't do that a full size could. Of course you would be hard pressed to do loops in your living room. A lot of people go to fly days at school gyms. Check
here for info. It's a all around good forum. There are of course the model specific ones. If this is your first copter, why not save some money and get a used one. Your going to be crashing a lot learning how to fly. I got my piccolo for $200 with everything including a whole bunch of batteries and a bunch of spare parts. These things are actually quite "sturdy". You can pretty much fix anything with super glue and be flying 15 minutes later. The bigger choppers will be easier to fly, but if you crash it's going to hurt. There's also nothing like going for a flight around the house during a commercial on TV.
Oh yeah, save some wear and tear while learning how to fly by using a simulator first. You hook up your radio to it. While not as good as the real thing, it does help. A good free one is called FMS.
David