I agree with this. I recently got a 7.3, and after (finally) managing to ride a 3 and 4 back to back (nobody had one of each in my size in stock) I couldn't really see spending the extra $150 on a derailleur that probably wasn't going to fail appreciably sooner than the more expensive one (the shift quality of both bikes was the same), and a CF fork that, while being lighter, didn't really affect how fast I could ride or how easily I could lift the bike onto my bike rack, and didn't really seem to feel all that more comfortable either. Frankly, were I to go to a 4 it would have to be the disc model, but that was laughably above my budget.

Sidebar: isn't the worst drive the one you make with a brand new bike on the rack on the back of your car? You want nothing more than to be on the darned thing, and you worry that some numbnuts ordering a pizza on his phone is going to rear end you. (In my defense I had to drop off a malfunctioning bike to be fixed, and didn't have anyone to drive me so I could ride home).