We used to have one at work and we'd play many times a day (after we got bought out and were alll pretty much disinterested - that's the excuse anyway )
We'd buy a new one every 2-3 months so it would keep playing fresh - it was still usable after that but some things would start to fall apart.
If you're gonna play it once in a while, you'll be fine for a while. Great playing machines.
Now obviously, they're not something that looks as good sitting in your basement as a Super Chexx. They even sell a half dome you can put on top of them, and if you make a nice base you can still have something that looks pretty cool.