Serious Question - Why are you buying additional ships?

I understand backing the game because you believe in it, have faith in its future, and want to be a small part of it (I'm in this boat).

I also understanding why someone would want to own a ship so that they don't have to grind it back up in case there is a wipe.

Even the case of FOMO/exclusivity. Ok, sure (my MK1 Ghost is laughing at me right now) :)

Are there any other reasons why someone would go as far as spending thousands of dollars on ship "fleets" when almost all the ships you can get in game?

I have my starter package. I've never felt like I needed to spend additional crazy money on 5-20 ships. I see people calling this game a scam because you have to spend thousands on it to be competirive. But this doesn't feel true.

Thoughts?

-Edit-

Some people seemed to take the question above offensively.

I'm not judging anyone for how they spend their money or trying to convince you it's a scam. Im simply asking what are the tangible, realistic values of why it would be better for someone to purchase a ship outright with cash vs buying it in game via grind that doesn't seem to be that bad.

I apologize if the question came off as an intrusion of privacy or judgment against someone because of how they spend their money. That's not the goal or point of the question.

Thank you all for the feedback. lots of great points to consider that I never thought about.