Your question is a little too broad in search of the perfect IFR panel with minimal expenditures. Then add the "primer wars" scenario, in which each of us have different opinions and usually promote whatever vendor is installed in our panels.
The AFS Quickstart Panels are a nice option if you want a turnkey solution, guaranteed to work, and all the planning and design work done for you. You are paying AFS for the convenience and your time savings.
You can also do the same going with a Aerotronics or SteinAir, although it may cost a tad more and you have to cope with their current queue lengths.
All of these are excellent choices.
Then there is the discussion about mission to ensure you have the correct avionics to support you mission. For example, if you are just going to pop up through the clouds occasionally, you may install different gear than if you are going to fly in IMC all the time. For example, how much redundancy does your mission require and how much risk you are willing to manage?
I'm with Mark, in that my personal preference is for an external AP head so if the EFIS takes a dump, I can control the AP head to give me more think time. The counter argument is that an EFIS failure is so rare that the risk is minimal and not work the additional expense.
What is basic IFR mean to you? ILS and VOR approaches only? What about a certified GPS? Some AP heads require an EFIS to translate the older analog signals (ILS/VOR) and will only work with GPS. There are some AP heads that can work with all the technologies.
I don't think there is a single "silver bullet" here. If there were, you want to buy stock in that company.
Once you define your exact requirements, then find the equipment that can meet those needs at the best price you can find.
Can you fly IFR on a D100? Sure you can. But it won't have all the bells and whistles that the Skyview or other competitive products may have.
I know I didn't answer your question, but hopefully I did give you a few things to think about before making a decision. BTW, Paul Dye wrote some excellent articles on Mission and Redundancy that I would recommend reading if you can find copies of them.