I guess it depends on what you are doing, etc. If you are just a hobbyist, and you don't want to spend top dollar for a machine that isn't going to get a lot of use, then don't. If you are a pro or a budding pro, you might want to spend the money for the best machine you can afford. I would agree with one of the previous comments that car polishing doesn't generally require as much power as some other rotary activities. Might be a different story if you are compounding gelcoat on the side of a boat as previously mentioned.