Nah not really a fanboy yet. My first season racing was last year, and I put that poor Truggy through hell and back and it just kept going (ummm well when my used worn out engines stayed running). I will definitely agree that the Hudy Steel parts are UBER expensive. I paid $33 for a single front driveshaft when I noticed one was bent when I purchased it.
I really don't know much about the O'Donnell stuff other than it looks pretty kick butt. I mean all the name brands are rugged looking. Some have weaknesses that others don't, but I have listened to people talk about replacing worn out parts and such....and I just haven't have to do that yet with a full season on it. I drive like crap still...so I crash into everything in my path and it still holds up.
I was thinking about upgrading to the 09 Spec, but since I'm still a "rookie" I don't really think I'll reap the benefits much until I can drive the 08 Spec properly anyway.
Soooo many people knock brand XXX because they drive brand YYY, but they have never driven brand XXX. So just take it all with a grain of salt and pick one that you like, and you can get parts easily for and just run with it.