Where expensive begins is irrelevant compared to how inexpensive a firearm can be before the quality/workmanship goes beneath the threshold for reliability, and therein lies the kicker... In the modern era of cost-effective manufacturing methods such as investment casting, MiM, and CNC Machining, a reliable firearm can realistically be had for right around $150.
Seriously, considering that a Heritage Arms Rough Rider .22WMR Revolver only costs around $150 in new condition — which are known to be plenty reliable — one can easily arm themselves on a budget.
Sure, some may argue that .22WMR is inadequate for self-defense, but that's besides the point. Besides, there are other pistols priced around $150-$200 such as the Hi-Point C9 which seem to be reliable firearms which will go bang whenever the trigger is pulled. Sure, it's big, heavy, chunky, and breaking one down for cleaning is rather complicated, but the point is, it will work.
Go above that into the $250-$300 price range and you can easily get something name-brand that's reliable if you shop around.
Keep in mind, these examples are all in regards to new firearms, so if you shop used then you can get some really good deals on otherwise excellent firearms at low prices if you shop around.
For example, in June I purchased a Police Trade-in Smith & Wesson M&P40c LNiB with 3 Magazines and Trijicon Night Sights for $269!
So what difference does it make where "expensive" begins if even bargain-priced firearms will get the job done?
Bottom line: if you want to carry a more expensive firearm, then have at it! It's your gun, you don't need validation to do so. However, aside from personal preference, there's no real benefit to carrying an expensive firearm because the law of diminishing returns tends to kick in long before you get anywhere near a price point which could even vaguely be considered expensive, and it ceases to be a matter of any consequence which gun you're carrying since all that really matters is that the firearm is reliable enough to actually fire when you need it to do so and can continue to do so long enough to stop a threat, which just isn't a tall order anymore.
