Yup, you end up saving a lot in the long run, especially if you where an "early adopter"... Compare, $199 initial fee + $99/yr, starting from say 1999, that totals to about a grand ($199 + ($99 x 8) = $991) which is more than what it'd cost to go gold; not to mention you get some nice support units for gold... Though I've yet to really figure out what I'd need with any support units.
