ORIGINAL: JUCD VPR
Have you thought about looking at the Losi LST XXL?
I have owned the Savage SS 4.6 and thought it was a good all around truck.
I havent owned any HPI or AE stuff, but I know several people with both. To be honest, I spend more time running (my LST2's) than fixing. My buddies spend more time fixing (their MGT's and Savages) than running. I am not going to start another "ford vs. chevy" argument, but I would consider the Losi 1/8 MT platform too. They are very very tough and the engines are very easy to tune and run. A buddy said it best "The Losi LST2 (XXL is just a longer LST2) is stupidly overbuilt". I agree. Easy to work on, and very stable right out of the box. Not to mention the XXL comes factory with a Spektrum DX3S radio w/ telemetry. Big bonus there.
Just my (heavily taxed) $.02....