Only you can decide if its worth the extra coin.
The Elite 60 is an AWESOME unit indeed. If it's the center point of a dedicated media room it may just be the ticket. If its for replacing an existing TV in the family room you'll get by fine with as PDP series.
I have very old plasmas at my home and still love them.
They don't even compare to the performance of the new units but they do me fine.

See ya,
Kelly

Crazy is simply a point of reference and only you can decide if you are nuts enough to spend that much money. ;-)

We have a Panasonic Viera 50" and LOVE it.

I saw this tv today at best buy. I saw this one and a smaller Pioneer. If I had the money to spend on it without straining myself, I would buy it in a heartbeat. That is the best looking picture I've ever seen. I've been looking all over for a good plasma. I won't get that one, lol. Its up to you. If you have to ask if you're crazy for buying it then you already have your answer, lol.

Personally I'd get the Panny . The Kuros are great sets , but always looked a bit too dark for my tastes . Just my own opinion , but I like bright colors that pop off the screen - which is why my Samsung plasma suits me just fine . No matter what you decide , you can probably get it cheaper online than at a brick and mortar store .

quote" you can probably get it cheaper online than at a brick and mortar store . "quote

It's my understanding that if you purchase off of the Internet from an Internet wholesaler that Pioneer will not stand behind their warranty.

I don't know this to be a fact but I'd certainly contact Pioneer directly before I made the purchase.

See ya,
Kelly

I've never heard of any tv manufacturer not standing behind their new tvs , no matter where it's purchased and no matter what the price ! Maybe people are confusing having the option to return a tv to where it was purchased with having it fixed under warranty by Pioneer service technicians ? There are a few brick and mortar stores here in NJ that sell for lower prices than the bigger chain stores like Best Buy and Circuit City , but don't allow returns and require problems to be fixed through manufacturer warranty . Once a new set is bought and registered a company really has no option but to repair that set under warranty . If they want to stay in business that is , and that goes double for companies like Pioneer who charge a heavy premium for their tvs . I don't think they would stay in business for long if they refused to repair a set under warranty just because it was purchased for a lesser price from amazon or another internet retailer !

Be carefull about internet purchasing..... All manufactures state that they must be purchased from an authourized dealer.
If I was to buy off the net , the first thing I would do is make sure its an authourized dealer. Product can be be purchased thru "grey market" or multi level distribution with only a seller warranty, meaning no manufacture warranty

Thanks for all of the follow up replies. Actually, the best price I have found on the Kuro Elite by far is a bricks and mortar specialty home theater shop 150 miles from my house that is willing to deliver for free. They beat Best Buy by 30%! I actually found BB to be very uncompetitive and disinterested when I comparison shopped there for both the Panny and the Kuro Elite. To be specific, just after Christmas I had a price in hand from a regional big box retailer on the Panasonic 58 inch 800U THX for $2,750. They are literally just down the street from the BB store here. BBs price was $3,500 so I asked a salesperson (when I fnally got one's attention) if the prices posted were final or if there was room for negotiation. The sales person said "the price posted is our price" then turned and walked away commenting to let him know if I was interested in the TV.

If it's a big plasma at a decent price you're looking for , amazon sells the Samsung PN63A650 for less than $3500 with free shipping and zero interest financing for 24 months . It doesn't have quite the black levels of the Pio or Panny , but beats them both in color accuracy and is a steal of a deal given the prices of the other two of comparable size . And yes , amazon is an authorized dealer . Good luck in whatever you decide !

Here is a link that might be useful: Samsung PN63A650