make items have a durability, that way they break, and you must continue to supply your ship with equipment when it breaks. this prevents players from buying a really pimped out setup and laying back to collect cash forever. higher level stuff should cost lots of $ like it does now, but has a higher desaturation rate as the item is used. armor fades as you die, weapons degrade as you gain kills and die, etc. lower tier items desaturate at a slower rate so they are more desireable in the long-term, and for those that are still getting xp would put a nice touch on hyperspace imo.