I suspect you are being disingenuous...But if you are actually interested in answers, they have been provided earlier in this thread - I saw that just by scrolling through a few pages. In fact, you were given a good response in post #558.

As for the original question: I have money and ride a lot (semi-retired), and so I do want nice bikes. But I also get much satisfaction from my older and less-expensive bikes. For instance, I have perhaps $500 into my SS commuter, and I am often amazed at what a good bike it is, at least for it's intended purpose.