I always buy the bottom of the line Mac when it's time to upgrade. I get 5-7 years out of my Macs in the past (though the move to Mojave has killed my Mac mini 2014. So slow…
) After 5-7 years, the bottom end Mac is often multiples of times faster, better, etc. than the Mac I replace. I have no complaints.
I wouldn't worry about Macs going elitist. The top of the line Macs have always been pricey, and those models and features aren't targeted to consumer markets. Those are intended for upscale businesses.
The comments on Tim Cook, however, are right on the money.
I've been an Apple fan since the 80s (though I didn't buy a Mac until 2001). I have to admit that under Cook, Apple feels more like "beleaguered" Apple of the early 90s—without Jobs—than it did at the turn of the century when Jobs infused so much energy and innovation into the company.