I took advantage of this. 

I had a license Pro version 7. I stopped using it ages ago because of issues with my computer (I think my graphics card was not one they supported) so it's hard to say how much has changed. However, so far, Vue 11 has been pretty stable (so that is a huge change). I haven't tried importanting anything from poser, but I've had some pretty dense Ecosystems with high polys. And none of the example files that I tried gave me problems. Some even rendered very quickly with a very nice looking finished result. 

I'm finding that the mix of features is a bit frustrating. For instance, there is a lot of old, Vue 4 style procedurals that are still available, that look...well, like vue 4 (I remember them from my first copy of vue). Then, there are the newer materials that look really good. It would be nice if they would update those older ones with similar but modern values. Learning to create procedurals takes time, and having a rich library of good materials is always a big help at jumping right in. 

I'm like you. I want eco-painter, but the price for the next level was just too high for me. I figure I'll grab it once the next billing cycle comes through, so I don't spend too much at once:)