I'm saying the same, I would gladly pay more for a retina.
I think the difference is only big for text. If you stream media or play games, you won't really see much of a difference. When you try to read small text, that's a different story.
I'm not big on just using my current iPad 2 for media. Videos would be perfectly fine on it, but I bought it primarily for reading text; PDFs and novels. However, since owning iPhones 4/4S/5, I find myself reach for my iPhone to read ePubs instead. The Retina Display is a lot easier on my eyes than my iPad 2. In fact, I find myself using my iPad 2 less and less, so don't think buying a shrunken down version of it would be a reasonable purchase.
You have to take current owner reviews with a grain of salt. They're more than likely trying to justify their purchase. It's human nature to have people want to make the same decision as they did. It's validating. If you want to really know what to do, go to the Apple store and try one out yourself and make your own decision.