Am I nuts?

yes, if here, nuts!

what's the question?

what model?

I researched, the lasers do get old and weak, or out of alignment. some lasers can be changed by experts. some entire mechanisms (drawer and laser) can be changed by DIY or expert.

I just bought a lightly used Sony xa5400ES made in 2008. I could not be happier. It is a terrific sounding player. IT has available replacement mechanisms and/or lasers, one of the reasons I selected it. Soooo glad I did.

I went thru 9 different players in my quest for a better sounding player without spending several thousand dollars.

The Sony xa5400ES (and a few other highly respected early models) FAR exceeded 'better', it sounds GREAT.

I was essentially LP, ignoring my 4,000 CDs (some SACD), until I decided to try.

Finally, so darn good, I do not hesitate to pick and play CDs with equal expectation of full involvement of well engineered content by favorite artists.

When you consider a great sounding player's cost divided by all your favorite CDs (I've got a lot I don't care about), the cost is low and the gain is beyond measure.