Interesting post, and something I haven't thought about. There are, of course, advantages to PG, one being the cost, the other being the fact that the books are in recent years, very accurately proofread and formatted -- speaking as a volunteer proofreader myself. Few of the commercial books I've purchased for my Kindle are as well prepared for eBook format.
I mix my reading. PG provides a literary benchmark for many genres for me. I find it difficult to critically evaluate an author's originality without having read those works that no doubt inspired modern authors. (Is it an original idea or did the author simply take a previous theme and morph it?)
But the challenge is before me. I'll begin seeking that perfect younger author, although I tend to mix my genres which adds to the challenge.
