I ran an st-1 last season and it ran and handled great. Once I had the setup down it would run right with the Losi's and the Associated's at the track. I never broke anything and the only wear on the truck was the clucth shoes. I did think the tt-28 motor was a little too fussy so I did swap it for an OS and after that it was all smooth sailing. I still have it as a back-up and pull it out for fun from time to time.
For parts I just went to thundertiger4u.com when I was ordering spares that I ended up not needing. They had everything in stock and they shipped fast.
Don't be afraid of this brand!!