I actually got drawn into the whole vintage thing because I just wanted to get into road biking without paying a lot. So I got an old bike (for free as it turned out). It was an ugly duckling, but with a lot of character, and a high-end model by sheer luck, and now it's cleaning up very nicely. I'm so glad I didn't spend hundreds for a soulless low-end new bike. Of course now I am constantly fighting the temptation (with mixed success) to spend lots of money on vintage parts and accessories.

So now I have 3 used bikes (the other 2 are low-end mtb rain bikes), total purchase price, $35. Of course it's misleading that those of us "pricing our stables" are talking about purchase price only. In fact I've spent more like $600-700 on bike gear, parts, tools, and LBS service. Some of that (like most of the gear) would still have been spent on a new bike, but some of it would have been avoided.