I bought an Ender3 pro and it printed fine out of the box, just had to search youtube on how to properly install the x gantry because the directions tell you to do it the wrong way. I've spent several hundred in upgrades, but most of those were not required for PLA, I just wanted to print more functional parts. You can put just a few upgrades on for minimal $$, but if you want to print more exotic materials you need to upgrade the extruder, hotend, and bed. You also need a decent filament dryer regardless of the printer.

If you are just printing small parts, go with a Prusa Mini. It's not direct drive but that's probably the only upgrade you would need. Prusa slicer also has all the settings optimized for different materials. I use Cura for my Ender and have to set everything up myself but it is definitely a good learning experience.

Upgrades on my Ender3 Pro:
- microswiss all metal hotend
- microswiss direct drive extruder
- glass bed and garolite
- 3 point leveling build plate
- silicon heated mat for bed heating(heats bed.
up very fast)
- skr mini e3 v1.2 and now v2
- meanwell 500w power supply
- BLTouch
- metal thermistor with threads
- aluminum belt tensioners
- LED strip
- dehydrator style filament dryer
- inline filament dryer
- raspberry pi for remote printing
- still need to buy linear rails

Again, it all depends on what kind of parts and materials you want to print, but i think it's worth it to spend a little more for a Prusa