Joystick recommendations needed

I know this has been covered before, but most of the other posts I found were either extremely old or extremely general requests.I've had it with my X45. The spring feels loose, the rudder rocker hasn't been centered since I bought it, it drifts left in everything regardless of settings, the driver installs seem to wonky about once a week (requiring a full reinstall), and it loses calibration at the drop of a hat - a piece of expensive hardware should be more reliable than that!I'm looking for a replacement. I am running XP Pro and don't have a gameport. I fly (or will fly) the gamut - civilian, chopper, WWII, modern, as well as other types of games that benefit from joystick support (Operation Flashpoint, space sims etc).A big concern is cost. I know that quality is expensive, but I can't afford to drop $500 (or anything even close to it). I really need a seperate rudder - whether it is a rocker or completely external pedals. Trying to keep a chopper aloft with a twist stick is a carpal-tunnel nightmare. A seperate throttle would be nice, but prices for a full 3-piece set seem a bit much. I am planning on getting my hands on TrackIR soon, too if that's a factor.Reliability is a top concern - I don't want to have to spend 20 minutes fixing my stick every time I want to take my Cessna for a spin.Another concern of mine is compatability. I don't want to end up with three seperate controllers (stick, throttle, and pedals) only to discover that I can only use them together in one out of ten games I play.So, without laughing at me too much, give me some advice on a solid, reliable stick and rudder, preferably with a throttle, that will work in most of what I might want to play, but won't cause my wife to castrate me because of the cost. Quit laughing - there must be some option! :(