Acorec, I agree with you- partially. I also disagree with you- partially. When the guy asks "whats a good mic pre for under $200?", I'll tell him what I think, and I'll keep it under $200. Often I have suggested multiple budget mics rather than one mid-level mic just so the poster can get experience with different types of mics.
There are 2 cases in which I'll recommend something out of the stated price range. The first is when the poster already has gear as good as what he's asking about. Example- "I'm using a Mackie mixer and my buddy the engineer says I sould get an outboard mic pre for better sound. Should I buy a DMP-3?" Truth is, the Mackie's pres and the DMP-3 will probably yield similar results. To upgrade from the Mackie probably won't happen at the $200 price point. The poster needs a reality check that the next level starts at $500 new, and as you suggest, used gear may offer better options.
The second is the guy who says, "I want to get professional quality results that are good enough to play on the radio and submit for national distribution. What about the Soundblaster in my laptop with an Audiobuddy and a Rode NT-1? I absolutely can't spend more than $300, and do I really need monitors, can't I use my computer speakers?" This guy also needs a reality check, and needs to understand that high fidelity audio recording costs money- a lot of it. I have to explain to this guy that I've spent close to $20,000 in a year and a half, and I can barely track the current project with the gear I've got, and I'm not going to try to mix or master it.. I know what you're talking about- it does seem like some people just want to show off the cool extent of their gear.
I do believe that relatively inexpensive gear can provide a good learning tool, and an experienced engineer will produce much better results with it than a beginner with a pile of gear. And you will never become an experienced engineer unless you have something to record with. As long as the poster has realistic expectations, I'll do the best I can to help him or her not to waste their money.-Richie