I concur wholeheartedly.
Value for dollar, bikes have gone Way up. The 42-pound 10-speed Schwinn suburban I bought as a do-everything bike in the early '70s would cost as much or more than the 24-speed Dawes I bought in 2015. Steel vs, Al, but steel fork vs CF fork. Better brakes on the Dawes, and while the Claris/Sora running gear wasn't the greatest, the bike got me from LA to DC with nothing more than some spoke-tightening and cable adjustments. And the Schwinn with whatever----maybe 42x25 low gearing? would Not have made it over the mountains.
The Schwinn was a tank ... but the Dawes, at half the weight, is every bit as durable.
New Sora is as good as two-generations-old 105 if not better. And for $1000 a smart shopper can get new 105 (well, 5800---I guess 7K just came out) with a decent frame and CF fork. Value for dollar is just amazing.