Thanks so much for all the info! I just found out that the Flysky i6X (10 channel) is only $60US so I think I'm just going to get one for now. Once I'm more familiar with the ESP32 MFU I'll consider looking into getting a wheel controller to work with it.
It looks like this receiver is compatible with the i6X and it appears to have SBUS. It's 8 channel, but I think it may be all I need. Think it's a good choice?