yeah, i thought the same thing at first, that my 98 witha few ups would be all i need. i shot a mech cocker and fell in love. needless to say i sold my 98 and have an autococker en route
but i still miss my 98 custom, it was built real solid and could take a beating no matter what, i plan on setting some $ aside and buying another 98 as a backup, get a j+j ceramic just like before, and do all the home modifications there are and it will be awesome once again. kinda different, but once you try a gun you really like, you will lust after it until you do something stupid like sell your tippman. lol. i just needed the cash. but yeah, to each his own.
not exactly the same thing, but one group of friends i play woodsball with always ask why i wore bright orange and chrome pod harness. i told them they'll see. needless to say i wasnt any better or worse than any of them in thier camo. i learn to use things to my advantage. my team used a distraction(me in my prison jumpsuit) so we could flank them. and guess what, it worked. well, now i have 4 camo uniforms....
im not really proving a point am i? lol
but seriously, go to them and say "i'd rather spend time getting skill than spending money for things i dont really need."