My best friend and her husband are chiropractors, and I can honestly say that I feel much better when I get regularly adjusted. I rarely have headaches or aches/pains in my back and neck when I go on a regular schedule.
When she was trying to get through school, she had to have tons of clinic hours and they made them find their own patients. A bunch of her friends, family, and myself would drive over to help her out. When she graduated, she lived near me which also made it easy. Now, she lives about 3-4 hours away and I only see her every few weeks or sometimes as long as 2 months. I can really tell the difference.
It's like anything else - you have to find a good one. If they're only doing that little activator thing a couple of times and one or two quick adjustments, then find some else. If you get a good one, I'll bet you'll be hooked. And if you have decent insurance, usually the visits are covered.