Thanks for the info. Sounds like I should stay with the newer tech. Maybe they just got better at assembling them. I have a lot of experience modding Solidoodles and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can waste a lot of time chasing little hardware issues like backlash, wobble, deflection, friction etc. and never really get the machine where you want it to be. I've played around with a friend's DaVinci AiO (that I flashed to Repetier) and it has much more solid hardware than the Solidoodles I've spent years modding. So at this point, I want to buy one and try to turn a decent machine into a great machine. The main thing I was trying to figure out was whether the older 1.0 machines were as tight as the AiO that I was able to see first hand. It sounds like you are saying no, it's not. I'd be interested if anybody else reading this has anything to say.
The other question I had is about the motherboard. I am possibly interested in setting up a dual E3D extruder bowden style for the X carriage (for dual extrusion at high speed). I wasn't sure if the original 1.0 motherboard has a slot for another driver. Also, can it take A4988 drivers? Any other type of removable driver?