I had started getting the Minimates when they first came out back in 2003 or so, but college got in the way (as did my lack of funds), so I sort of stopped with only having Daredevil, Elektra, Kingpin, Ultimate X-Men, Professor X, and Magneto.
But last year, when I heard that there were going to be DC Minimates, I scoured eBay all the time for ways to get as many Marvels as I could. I was never a huge Marvel fan, but the idea of having both universes in the same style and scale was awesome to me.
Since then, I've amassed Beast (Astonishing), Bishop, Black Cat, Blade, Cable, Captain America, Colossus, Cyclops, Daredevil, Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, Echo, Elektra, Emma Frost, Firestar, Ghost Rider, Green Goblin, Hulk, Human Torch, Iceman, Invisible Woman, Iron Man, Kitty Pryde, Lady Deathstrike, Luke Cage, Mr. Fantastic, Mystique, Nick Fury, Phoenix, Punisher, Rhino, Rogue, Sandman, Sentry, Silver Sable, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman I, Storm (Giant-Size), Thing, Venom, and Wolverine (Astonishing).
And I also managed to snag a Nightcrawler/Colossus two-pack on eBay for $4.99 on Friday! That thing goes for big friggin' bucks!
It's definitely not impossible to catch up. I did it, and probably for less than $75.