My first-ever heli lesson (31st August 1982 t/o at 1545 for 35 minutes, not that it made a great impression or anything) was in a SAS-equipped 206. Young and innocent as I was at the time, I didn't appreciate some of the pre-take-off checks Tony was making; pressing a trigger on the cyclic and seeing a pair of switches on the binnacle pop, which he then reset.
We took off and headed for the hovering area north of Shoreham's runway. When he gave me the cyclic, we didn't move; ah! so I'm a natural. What's all the fuss about? Then he switched the SAS off.
Charlie is right, I think this system (then!) cost about 250 thou. The value obviously isn't in making rank amateurs look cool (though I felt like James Bond), but in making the a/c almost hands-off stable when there's a high workload.