If you intend on playing a frame, potato it. Fielding an unpotatoed frame is a big stealth middle finger to everyone in your group.
Early on, when you are accumulating frames quickly, you'll probably want to sink some plat and buy a few, or you'll have to be very, very patient. When you establish a stable of good frames, you can start to hold off using newer frames until you get a gold potato alert.
Regardless, 20p is not unreasonable in my mind as an entry tax for a new frame. You're going to get a few hours (at least) of enjoyment out of it, so buck or less doesn't seem steep - whether that's money you spend directly, or earn selling a mod or two.