I was thinking the same thing. But when I talk to people I continually hear the same two answers, "You get what you pay for!" or "Do it right the first time." I have also read an article by Don Casey that asks the question, "In an emergency when you really need to rely on your auto-pilot do you want it to hold course in all situations?" This is one of the main reasons I am doing a lot of research on this before buying. I have also just recently startted considering the pros and cons of a kicker motor with TR1 Gold.