Steve - a quick bit of feedback for you... You are absolutely right that electric AI's can be expensive, and they remain expensive to maintain over time. Glass, on the other hand, seems to avoid most of the pitfalls associated with flight instruments from the mechanical era. The really nice part about going "glass" is that you get SO much information packed into one small package.
While you reference the Garmin G5 in your comments, there are other options. For ease of installation and ultimate "do it all in one box" capability, I would suggest you look at a GRT Mini-X with the mapping and internal backup battery options installed. This provides redundancy for all your "steam" instruments, as well as redundancy for your navigation solution (built-in VFR GPS and map database) as well as redundancy of electrical supply. There's nothing in the "mechanical" world that can come close to providing this level of functionality in one package, at any price, let alone at a sub-$2K price.
I know this thread isn't about equipment, so let me put a spin on this particular post that is in keeping with the intent of the thread.
When we make bad decisions (it's not a question of "if", Bugsy's post shows us that human factors mean it's a matter of "when", because we WILL make bad decisions), having a reasonable level of equipment is an important factor in being able to recover from or survive that bad decision. It's even better if we spend some time flying behind the equipment, building confidence in it, getting to the point where we can trust it. It's this latter element that makes it easier to transition to the gauges when we've inadvertently poked our nose into the clouds. If the glass in your panel is a familiar friend, you'll not hesitate to look at it and be guided by the information is provides. "Getting on the gauges" faster and easier are two of the best ways to justify installing a modern "all in one" EFIS system.