no, you are just being realistic, when considering bang for buck. like a 4afe vs 4age. some of the 4afes put out more power (and torque) than the earlier rwd 4ages. some young dude wouldn't have anything but the 4age. i've seen a few 4afes on the web turboed putting out over 300 hp, so there really can't be too much wrong with them.
with the "fe" versions there would be nothing stopping you fitting a set of warmer cams and giving the head a cleanup. the difference between them and a "ge" version would be minimal then.
with you on this one
lots of good motors out there but they don't have the 'fulsik factor' :P