I'm cross posting this in the Toddler Bargains boards as well.

We visited a Rainbow showroom this past weekend, and the salesperson there just about had me convinced that we should buy something provisional (like a plastic Little Tikes or Step 2 climber) for our son (who will be 2 yrs old next summer) until he's old enough to really enjoy a wooden set that will last till age 10-12. Of course, the set that he was suggesting was a fully outfitted mid-height Rainbow that would have been $5700 for just the display model!! (not including mulch, area prep, etc.) Basically, the salesman said that kids play on the taller sets longer because the slides are higher and the swings have longer reach. He didn't recommend going with a set that was shorter than 11-12 feet to the peak of the roof. He says that with the shorter sets (like the Rainbow Sunray from Costco), kids reach a certain age and just stop playing with them, hence, for a given price point, its better to get a simpler, tall set than a short set with lots of bells and whistles.

What have you all done? Jump right into the wooden set, or buy the plastic stuff in the interim? Has anyone seen whether kids 7,8,9,10, or 11 play on the smaller wooden sets like the Rainbow Sunray? I guess I see the wisdom in waiting to buy, because I'd rather spend more on something that my kids can play on from age 3-12 than something that lasts from age 2-7. On the other hand, I hate to spend hundreds of dollars on a lot of plastic stuff that the kids will outgrow in a couple of years.

Any thoughts?