How generic are printer parts?

In a giddy and gleeful act I took my first steps into 3D printing by pre-ordering a Solidoodle Press. A solid choice you might say and from my perspective as good as any of the contenders.

But as the dust settles and sobriety takes control I start to worry a little about Solidoodle's rapid iteration. I guess support for my as-yet-non-existent printer might be as fleeting as the 60 day warranty.

So that's the basis for my question really; I'm fully prepared to become an experienced user, strip the thing down and perform repairs, maintenance and mods but that all depends on the availability of parts.

I appreciate that questions surrounding the Press are going to involve a large dose of speculation, but I was wondering how model specific third party parts are. If I bought an all metal hotend is it likely to work or will I find myself in a technological dead-end when support dries up?

Also do you guys stick with the same old printer doggedly fixing and upgrading where you can or do you consider reinvesting in a newer model when things go wrong?

Thanks!