In general, my thought is "Tormach, if you're paying out of future retirement savings, and it goes in your garage. Whatever is best for your job shop, if you're doing it for a business."
I wonder how much those Mazak Integrex i100 5-axis boxes cost ... might be a better choice than a Haas, depending on what you do? And gets you a lathe, too :-D
... eBay says $150k plus for a 10 year old one. Might be an alternative to an upscale Haas, but not really an alternative for the Mini Mill or VF2.