Component Upgrades vs new mac

Ok so i know there is already another thread on this, but is almost 3 years old and seeing as Apple kills of their tech every 8-12 months...i figured i would post a new one.

Anyways, i have MacBookPro9,2 and I have 8GB ram and a 750GB HDD...I definitely want to upgrade to a SSD (480GB from OWC for about $220) and also Might want to upgrade to what i call Absolute Max Ram (the real max ram, because apple says this model only supports 8GB but i have read from multiple sources it supports a max of 16GB, but voids the apple warranty).

The ram i haven't priced yet but odds are i will get it from OWC when i order the SSD...

Basically by the time i tally the bill i expect to spend about $300-350. Is it even worth it (i.e. will this allow me to use this computer and keep it fast enough for another 4 years) or should i bite the bullet and just save for the new MacBook?

Its not deathly slow right now, but it is about 50% slower than out of the box. I really want to decrease boot time (current is about 1.5 minutes; i know a SSD will help this dramatically)...

So, Since I'm a college student and Apple computers aren't the cheapest ones out there I want some input from those who have more knowledge than me or who have actually done this and can attest to results. I want the most bang for my buck.

Thanks,

-Andrew