Alot of people have spent over $1000 for the Sport/Hobby.
Yes, but (in my case) not on 1 gun. I've probably spent close to that on about 8 different guns. Then again, I've also made money by flipping a few guns, so that has to be taken into consideration.
Personally I'm looking to keep my primary for 10+ years
AEGs can be just as durable. I've got 3 sitting in the safe that are pushing that age, all TMs. The SOCOM 16 could do with a good tune up, but it's gone through 3 owners (that I know of) and is still running great. A friend of mine has a couple of ICS MP5s that keep on going, despite closing in on the decade mark.
You seem sold on the P*, though. It's a good choice, don't get me wrong, but as others have said, they do break.
It's basically the innards of a paintball gun modified to work in a body designed for a gearbox. O-rings can and will fail. Micro switches can fail, as can the circuitry in the boards. They still require maintenance that will require some tech knowledge or a trip to someone who works on P*s. Air tanks also have a built in life to them. Most places won't fill a tank that is out of hydro. Having multiple tanks is also a must if you plan on going to a very long game.
When all is said and done, it's your choice and a P* isn't a bad one. There's just a lot of people that prefer the pick up and go quality of an AEG.