In the end, I went with a refurbished 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i7 and 16GB of RAM that was considered "last year's" model among Apple's newer 2017 lineup.
The powerful Core i7 processor in the 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro will last me several years, just like the i7 did on my 2012 MacBook Pro. That means I'll probably face a similar conundrum down the line when Apple introduces great new features that makes my 2016 model feel old. But at least I didn't pay the price of a brand-new 2017 model. I saved myself $450 by going with a refurbished model.
I also keep up with Intel's new processor releases, and I can safely say that the processor's performance in the 2017 MacBook Pro model doesn't warrant the extra $450 it would cost over my 2016 model. I can't speak to the performance in future MacBook Pro models, but I'll certainly consider another older refurbished model before buying a brand-new model when it's time for an upgrade.
Plus, one of my requirements for a laptop is a 15-inch display, and Apple doesn't offer its 15-inch MacBook Pro with anything less than a Core i7 processor. So I didn't have much of a choice unless I was willing to compromise on screen size, which I clearly wasn't.
You can read my review of the refurbished 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro here.