CIG has already posted about this after CitizenCon with the sale of the Zeus, they stated that all ships are going to be getting component and balance passes to make them more survivable for the upcoming engineering gameplay so any ship sold before the Zeus will be getting some component changes made with maybe the exception of small starter ships and fighters,Oh, right. I was referring to weapons, range, shields, that sort of thing. S3 just cannot compare to S4 in these categories, which is as it should be, they are after all, a larger ship.
also be aware the Cutlass and the Freelancer are only $110 compared to a $125 price tag on the Spirit and spending more will get you more.....unless you fly Origin.