I'm in the same boat. My venerable ol' Saitek ST290 Pro twisty-stick, which has served proudly with me for some 12 years since Battlefield 1942, has finally become a bit too quirky. It's missing the top-right button, the stick spring is stiff and jerky, the hat switch doesn't work half the time, and recently the elevators have gone to spiking randomly.
I'm in the market for a setup within a moderate budget (don't know how long I have left in my gaming career). Though I have had fantastic luck with the Saitek ST290, I found the reviews and price tag for the X52 to not be as pleasing. Since I've only really ever had one joystick, I don't have the diverse background or experience some of you guys have with other products out there - I've never even used a separate throttle or rudder pedal setup! After reading reviews here and on amazon, I've set my eye on the CH products. The ultimate setup I see within my range would be the CH Fighterstick, the CH Throttle Quadrant, and the CH Pro Pedals (a total value on Amazon pushing $380). The way I sit, I'd imagine I'll order up the Fighterstick first and see how I like it as I am well used to the all-in-one twisty rudder/throttle/joystick setup.
If I had to pick between one of them, would you guys opt for the separate throttle or the pedals to compliment the joystick? Any pros or cons from this conceived plan? Going to have to get it sooner than later since I'm itching for this Target for Today scenario coming up.