I picked up an older ironing board at Goodwill many years ago. The ironing board is avocado green, so that tells you how old it is.
I love it because it's sturdier, taller (which is important for me), and a bit wider. I did buy a rectangular ironing board that I bought at a quilt store that sits on top of the ironing board which is great for my quilting. That probably gets my a space of 18x48 or so to iron on. I'm going to add some more batting to it and a prettier cover.
I can't imagine spending $500 for an ironing board....sorry...