I've had a Toro snowthrower for nine winters. Other than gas I might have put as much as $100 into it, with the only "repair" (rather than normal maintenance) item being the ignition switch. During that time, my next door neighbor went through three snowthrowers before buying a Toro.

If I were going to buy another one, it would definitely be a Toro. Honda makes a great engine, but I'm not as impressed by the rest of their snowthrowers.

Whatever brand you get, get one big enough for your needs. A little too big is better than a little too small.