I started with CorelDraw 3 back in 1981 I think (the software came on stiffies for those who remember).... first design software I used and I was very happy with it. If you wanted to upgrade in a year or two's time, all well and good - you purchased the CD (wow) and you got a discounted price. I went from 3 to 4 to 7 to 10 and finally to X4 in 2008. All outright purchases. (I was on Windows machines, so Adobe wasn't even an option.)
Even back in '08 its colour management, text on a curve, advanced text formatting tools, mesh fills etc. etc were way ahead IMO of Xara's v16 has.
In 2013 I upgraded my system to win 8.1 but Corel X4 wasn't happy playing with it - colleagues recommended X7 but by then the software was becoming really bloated and I swapped over to Xara which like all software, has it's strong and weak points.

But agree with the OP - the pricing/subscription rates are crazy, but I still now a few designers who use it.