Yep, it's the 'consumables' that make the difference; parts less prone to wear can always be found second hand. Of course, there's the eternal problem of 2nd hand parts often being more expensive than complete bikes, so do you buy the parts you need when you need them or do you wait until a good deal comes up on a complete bike with interesting parts. But then you start to really like that bike too and don't want to strip it for parts, etc etc... It's the vicious vintage circle!