I have two Otari decks, one a transport only (signal direct from the heads) and the other I use to record. The 5050's are work horses and I use mine a lot. I have no problem finding tapes at reasonable costs and I trade a lot which is also an economical way to get music. I have two good techs, one recommended to me by Paul Stubbelbine and the other by Ralph Karsten (Soren Witt in Chicago). Both have serviced my decks, but just once in the time I have owned them. Otherwise just cleaning the heads and rollers. I would also recommend Athan Corporation for aftermarket parts and JFR Magnetic Services for tape heads.
