Hi tworrs the components aren't weak at all. Normally it is operator error and I mean that in a helpful way.
The gears will strip if you fail to mesh them correctly eg not too tight and not so loose that the teeth can slip when u pull the pinnion and spur gear apart. There are loads of really good Mardave how to style vids on you tube so have a look around unless someone can pop a link up?
The next thing to do is to put a bumper on the front of your car that almost wraps around the front of the car protecting your a frames and it keeps things from. Ending giving you a more consistent car so you can concentrate on honing your driving to the point you can do a clean race then start trying to go faster rather than chasing issues.
As for going brushless, stick with what you have got at the moment. Brushless is very very even with regards to how fast the cars are in a straight line (13.5 1s no boost) all geared at roughly 65mpr.
I do love the no need to buy a new motor every 4-5 meetings and no running in blah blah and with 1s lipo there's no need to balance cells on a tray just charge and go. I even managed an entire club night getting tq and the win by over a lap using the same 6200mah lipo all night all on one charge as I had forgotten aload of my stuff doh!
All that said brushed is still good close fun but requires more running maintenance to keep your gear in competitive shape.
I would master what you have first then move on when you are ready, most who get the bug end up with a brushed car and a brushless car as they don't want to ruin their brushed car
