Mudranger I never used since it's just too impractical at the range it offers but in general, yes, I suspect that's by design. You simply won't ever manage to fit in every facility and maintain sizable support staff + agent roster with just one base, not without being practically unable to respond to missions or scramble fighters later on.
A million seems severely too little to me. Just building one base with basic, not even late-game facilities takes several millions, and then maintaining all that you'll build takes a couple on top of that. Two relatively well equipped bases pretty much finished and well staffed with agents, researchers and engineers set me back over 7 - 8 millions every month, and I am not yet even at the invasion stage.
I sometimes do make specialized bases but it's mostly to avoid micromanaging and just having one place constructing everything for every base and one researching everything. If you are able to maintain research staff and expensive facilities, nothing stops you from creating second research base, either.
Research early game goes very slowly because you lack facilities and staff. The regular, not-specialized laboratory you get after second promotion or so will boost it all considerably, allowing a couple times as many researchers you could house till now.
Mudranger is one of those things that seem absolutely useless, but when you use it, you realize how useful it is.
I once stomped on a Cult Outpost with it, it was hilarious. Then there was a Downed UFO mission but that went south because some alien managed to hide himself and snipe me out somehow, I think I lost to the last alien.
Get started = Build the base, maybe a hangar. You won't be able to build everything in the first month, anyway. Took me months until my second base became useable.
Research: I am a bit worried because its Jan 98 and I don't feel like I am doing too hot right now. Its one year until the invasion and I am going around on a chopper, using kevlar and rifles. I feel like the aliens will stomp me. I need to up my tech game, and more importantly - numbers.
Don't you have to destroy a Cult in order to get Promo II? I sure as hell am in no position to destroy any cults any time soon. Can't even beat a base.