You choose a carpet based on the feel you like best unless looks are extremely important to you, in which case of course you'd want to pay for the overall effect visually. Most people end up liking their choice based on the feel of the carpet, especially if you do any barefoot walking around the floor. Vacuums have a life and need to be replaced eventually, so I wouldn't worry too much about that unless maybe you had pets and needed to worry about carpet catching pet hair. I'm hoping to upgrade my vacuum to a Dyson next time I replace, or maybe one of the water filtration vacuums like Rainbow.

I had a frieze carpet in a home and absolutely loved the look of it. I'm not sure which direction carpet trends are headed these days, as that was a number of years ago, but I wouldn't hesitate to put it in again simply because I loved the look of it. Forty-one cents difference in cost per square foot is negligible, and I don't think cost should enter into the equation of your choice unless you plan to leave the place soon or rent it out.