Hi oddeyed
I don't regret getting a Kindle 2 at all. I almost was put off buying one for a number of reasons which included the fact that I wasn't comfortable buying one all the way from the US and incurring extra import fees to boot.
However, I saw one for a good price on ebay uk which was an unwanted gift - the seller had longstanding good feedback so I took a chance and got it from there. I remember that some people here on mobileread (a minority I admit) seemed to poo-pooh the idea of me buying a Kindle off ebay and not from Amazon. However, I haven't regretted that choice at all. No I don't get a year's warranty with it like you would if you bought right from Amazon but that is a risk I have taken.
It is my favourite "at-home" ebook reading device. I love the fact that I can sit in my chair and I can order ebook samples galore which is a brilliant feature that lets you try the first part of an ebook before buying and then purchase ebooks all without moving. I love the physical keyboard and I find it very easy to use it to take notes on what I'm reading. Even though some people say the selection for the UK isn't great - I still think Amazon have hands down the best selection overall available to the UK and the prices are fine for me. I rarely buy what they term as bestseller books anyway.
Yes you do incur slightly extra fees buying those ebooks from the UK - $2.35 I believe. Some of the classics are completely free $0.00 to the UK. And then you will be charged a little extra by your credit/debit card for purchasing abroad. I use barclaycard for my Amazon purchases and I pay about 25p for a $15 ebook purchase.
Personally I don't care about surfing the web on a kindle. I love surfing the web on my ipod touch which is fast and in glossy colour with an amazingly responsive touch screen. E-ink devices are slow for web browsing anyway.
So I would recommend it