Yeah, getting 3 years out of a machine in 1990 was about all that was possible. I had an AT clone (so 286) that I took to college as a freshman in 1988, and had the fastest machine in the dorm by a SIGNIFICANT margin.
Three years later, I bought a 386/33 because the 286 was, by comparison, dog slow. And it cost less than the AT had.
Three years later, I bought a 386/33 because the 286 was, by comparison, dog slow. And it cost less than the AT had.