I bought my Madcatz TE back in 2009 for $80 on sale and you can see them on Amazon for $400 right now, so he's for real about them holding their value.
I seriously started using my stick not even six months ago after using a pad my whole life and I honestly can't go back. I'm not going to say it has made me a better player but my inputs are more distinct and cleaner than they ever have been.
Trying one out at a friends house isn't going to be enough. You'll need weeks or months with it before the muscle memory really grabs a hold to where it's second nature and you can honestly compare it to the pad you've been using your whole life. I was still debating up until two months ago and after a lot of back and fourth, the stick feels better for me now.
I actually have my hours of competitive SF play with the stick through Steam.
40 hours of SFIV with a stick and 200 hours of SFV with a stick.
My brain has completely switched over which actually kind of makes me sad, like leaving an old friend for a new one but it's for the better for me personally.
Edit: I also recommend getting an octagonal gate so you'll still have that eight directional feel like with a pad. Square (standard) and circular gates suck. I can't use them.