<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Rudi:
instead of paying for first class, I mostly would buy a second class ticket and spend the money 'spared' in the dining car (open for both classes).</font>
I do the same thing! The only notable exception are Italian and Eastern European trains, it does pay to get a first class seat on these as 2nd class may get crowded.