Plus most of their guns don't feel as quality built as their competitors and the price isn't all the much cheaper anymore.
Ah, opinion masquerading as fact. I own several Taurus revolvers and semi-autos. I've had less trouble with them than I have with S&W, HK, Sig, and Springfield products out-of-the-box.
The price? What are you comparing? Walther doesn't make a .45 ACP hand-gun. S&W makes only the M&P, with an MSRP of $790.00 in that caliber. The Springfield XDm in .45 ACP, in stainless slide version, has an MSRP of $771.00.
In comparison, the Taurus Model 24/7 in stainless slide has an MSRP of $514.00. The Taurus PT845, again with stainless slide, has an MSRP of $555.00.
Just out of curiosity, who are the competitors in these cases? S&W produces the M&P, and a host of J-frames with different Model numbers. Charter is there, and who else? The S&W J-frame is more of a bunch of the same guns with optional barrels and finishes than a series of completely different guns, anyway.S&W also produces, in 9mm and .40, or .380, additional semi-autos. However, the only other .45 ACP is their Colt clone 1911A1.9
Walther was mentioned, but they only produce smaller-caliber guns, up to .40 S&W. In fact, Walther only produces a total of five models currently in the USA. They range from the P22 through the PPK and PK380, to the P99 and PPS.
Beretta only produces a single .45 ACP hand-gun. Glock has a total of three lines.
Taurus has a plethora of different guns in multiple calibers.
To me, a difference of over $200.00, to start with, won't be made up anywhere close at "street prices".
In revolvers, the S&W Model 60, in .357, has an MSRP, of $822.00.
The Taurus Model 605, in .357, has an MSRP of $492.00.
The Charter Arms Pug, in .357, has an MSRP of $496.00.
Again, the S&W is easily $300.00 more expensive to start with. As far as quality goes, it's in the eyes of the beholder. S&W has a record of problems purportedly aligned with their lock, which Taurus doesn't. QC, perhaps?
All in all, the hand-gun world is shrinking in numbers and choices. Taurus produced quality guns, to my experience, and is often the only choice for a lot of platforms that don't break the bank.