I hear you. My philosophy changed about 20years ago when Apple switched to Intel:

Mac laptops are expensive, but I regularly get 4-6 years from them without too much drama if I simply max out the ram when I buy them.

My thinking of my eventual move to Linux full time, a Framework or System76 machine costs similar to a Mac, and use the same Max ram philosophy.

I just wish the build quality was just a bit better for the price, but I'm willing to trade a little for user serviceability...