Yep... could buy a really nice car for that money...
Of course, with all GAS afflictions, it's still awfully fun to look at and dream.
Even though I know it's a model, and it's not as good as the real thing, but the UAD plugins are really good. It's been enough to (mostly) keep my wallet away from the... umm.. more exciting things.
I've got an LA-610, 2 Chandler Ltd Germanium Pres, an AEA R84, a Telefunken Copperhead, and a Mojave Audio MA-200, along with an SM-7, SM-57, MD421, and an e906. Everything else is in the box. Cubase 7.5 (I need to upgrade), and a couple of UAD Quads. And the Lynx Aurora. What I haven't been able to keep my wallet shut tightly enough for is so many of the 80s and 90s digital processors are really cheap (if they're still working). So, in addition to the Eventides, TCs, and Lexicons in my guitar racks, I've got about 20 more spaces of Rolands, TCs, Lexicons, Yamahas, and other oddities. What I really like about these boxes is that most of the signal stays analog with the converters sandwiched around the DSP as opposed to most modern gear that hits the converters first thing after the input and last thing before the output. I think, since a lot of these were designed by EEs who were still heavily invested in the analog domain, that they all have a much more distinctive sounds than many modern processors. I'm a big fan of character pieces. With most of my projects in the box, I like having pieces that can add some character.
Anyway, I'm obviously obsessed with this stuff, too. When I first started recording, I had 2 Radio Shack cassette players. Recorded on one, then played that back along with a new track and recorded that into the other one. I'd bounce back and forth until I got what I wanted. Switched to computer recording about 20 years ago and am just amazed at how many more options there are these days and how much the technology has advanced. I remember the Scorpions recording Love at First Sting on a digital system back in the 80s. Even with my modest setup, I've probably got close to the same amount of digital quality, if not more. Now if I only had 1/10th their talent, I would consider myself lucky, indeed.
Edit: I hope I'm not implying (and I'm definitely not trying to imply) that I think anyone needs a ton of gear to get into this properly. I've heard some great things done with Zoom recorders and Reaper. And, with advancing technology, this stuff just keeps getting better all the time.