I was wondering if the novak rooster is a good substitute for my duratrax intellispeed, I heard that it just breaks a lot and it wont go into reverse or brake, but if i send it in and get it fixed do you think i will have further problems?

Rooster is VERY Large for most vehicles.
What vehicle do you have.
Check out the September Issue of RC Car Action
They have an article on ESC under $100.
Lots to choose from!

The Rooster should be a very good ESC for your use if you are having problems with the Duratrax. Novak has a good rep for having excellent equipment. The Rooster should be pretty comparable in size to your present ESC so you shouldn't have a problem there. I think if you send the Duratrax in and get it looked over you shouldn't have any problems from there. I've sold a few of the forward/brake versions of the ESC you have and the owners have been very pleased with how they work.

The magazine with the list of esc's under $100 is the September RC Driver.

Novak is supposedly doing away with the rooster line. I think the XRS and super duty are the rooster replacements. You may want to consider the XRS, or have a look at the Tekin Rebel.
Brian