I for one am in love with the way the older 996 and 916 look. To me its the sexiest modern sport bike ever built. As far as owning a new one? I talked to a guy named John that works up at Euro Cycle Triumph/Ducati he said the maintainance interval for new Ducs is a lot less seldom than it used to be. And, that they are far more affordable then you'd think these days.
But I'd imagine owning a Ducati would be like owning a Ferrari. Its not something you drive everyday or even want to, its for special occassions and and if you can afford one, I'd say go for it.