First, I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions.
My involvement and use of Cubase goes back to when it came on floppy disks. I believe it was Cubase score that was my first purchase. I upgraded once or twice, but once I reached Cubase 5 pro I realized that this version and my interest in recording had peaked. I do not do any recording on a professional level, it’s all done in my bedroom for my own enjoyment, thus, staying current is not really a necessity. Regardless of its age, I am still able to do everything that I want and expect to with cubase 5. I know this restricts me to a certain degree and does not allow me to use newer software that might prove to be incompatible. My days of supporting steinberg and upgrading to newer versions is long behind me. Version 5 does everything I need. With that said, I try and search out software that will be compatible and as cost effective as possible.
To answer your question about what my intended use is, it will be very limited, to be honest agent one is probably more than I need. But I do like to have an assortment of grooves to work with. It doesn’t have to be that in depth, but I do like some variety. I will take your advice regarding VSTs over loops and see where that takes me