Too much GAS imho.

VCV rack is fun because you can add everything but in modular, either you are rich and don't care or you have to be really careful. Module resell most of the time at 75% but really slowly. Even in second hand, it 'll cost a lot.
You can do generative ambiant with really small setting.

Personally,
Sequencing, LFO and quantizer : Pamela and Mimetic Digitalis or Harlequin's Context
Two Voice : Basimilus Iteritas, Telharmonic, Rings or Plaits
Some delay and reverb : noise engineering versio , 4ms tapographic delay, strymon, make noise mimeophon, MI Beads/Clouds, Instruo Arbhar
A VCA
A uzeus as power
A output module if you need.

First, you get Pam, a voice, a delay/reverb, practice a year, then bring carefully the rest of your first 84hp. And after, you bring a filter then more modulation, VCA, offset, logic, switch, clock modulator in the second 84hp...
-- SamuelGeai

Oh, it absolutely is, I agree! It was mostly an exercise to recreate the rack @Lugia made as it was no longer available, and the missing module I couldn't figure out on the top row was driving me crazy!

Thank you for your far more sensible suggestions, I will definitely have a good look at these and see what sort of price range I might be looking at.