There are a few things everyone must do prior to starting the first time.

a. Air Filter Oil should be used on your air filter. This will prevent dust and dirt from reaching and damaging your engine. This can be purchased from any hobby shop. 
b. Fresh batteries; this is important for proper radio communication and can prevent loss of control of your vehicle.
c. Fully charged Glow Plug Igniter.
d. Prime the fuel line. See below.
e. Make a note of where the engine needles are set at. The factory settings are just right for getting started and should not be adjusted yet.
f. Check the entire car for loose screws and tighten them, make this a habit.
g. Find an open area to run your car.

My car will not start when I pull the starter cord.

This can be due to many things.
The first thing that many new users of Nitro Cars need to know is that a Glow Plug Igniter is needed to ignite the fuel air mixture in the engine. The Glow Plug Igniter must be fully charged prior to attaching it to the glow plug. Once fully charged make sure a good connection is made with the glow plug.

Second, if the above is done you should check to make sure that fuel is getting to the carburetor. This can easily be done by holding your finger over the exhaust pipe hole and giving a few pulls on the pull start. This will cause fuel to siphon through the fuel line to the Carburetor. Make sure that you do not pull the pull cord all the way to the end. Starting is a learned art and can easily be done with short quick pulls about 1/2 of the way.
Remember to pull with a quick twist of your wrist and NOT a pull of your entire arm.

Third, if the above two do not resolve the starting issue, you may have flooded the engine. You can remove the glow plug and turn the car upside down and pull the cord a few times to clear out the fuel then restart.

Lastly, your needle settings may be misadjusted, return these adjustments back to stock (before you run your car at all make a note of where these stock settings are). If you continue to have issues we highly recommend that you visit a local hobby shop for guidance on correct starting procedure and setup.

My car starts but I cannot keep it running.

This is common for all new cars. All cars need proper throttle, rich & lean adjustments to get the car running just right. We recommend visiting www.rcuniverse.com for further information on how to tweak your car so that it runs perfectly. You can also visit a local hobby shop or visit local races in your area so that you can learn the tricks and tweaks needed to enjoy your RC Car to its fullest.

Some symptoms of misadjusted engines and carburetors are:
a. Car does not start.
b. Car starts but will not stay running.
c. Car starts but exhaust spits out a lot of gasoline.
d. Car starts but each time I hit the brake it stalls.
e. Car does not seem powerful.

My pull cord is stuck and will not pull.

You should remove the glow plug to release the pressure within the engine and pull the cord a few times to free up the cylinder. A brand new engine has a very tight cylinder sleeve and when the piston travel up and down the top part of the sleeve is the tightest and sometimes the piston will get stuck at this point. Reinstall the glow plug and try again. If needed you can try a hair dyer or heat gun to heat up the engine head. This usually resolves a stuck pull cord. If it doesn't your cord may have come off track and you can simply open the rear of the engine and check to see if adjustments need to be made.

Great nitro engine break in 10 part video series