[Dave LaRonde] "With an image sequence, you simply pick up the render at the next frame... until the next crash, or until you opt for slower renders, learn how to utilize RAM in AE, or get more RAM."
Another big advantage for rendering to image sequences: if you make a small tweak, it's trivial to re-render only the changed frames, instead of working around it with proxies or re-rendering the entire sequence.
Walter Soyka, Principal
Keen Live, Inc.
Presentation, Motion Graphics & Widescreen Design
RenderBreak: A Blog on Innovation in Production