I certainly don't want to encourage buying a Facebook product, but just buy it and return it if you don't like it?

It might depend where you are. If you want to try that specific headset, you could ask on vr Facebook pages etc. I recall VR meet ups used to have headsets being used for demos.

Otherwise, there are sometimes vr arcades where you can pay to use a headset. You can call them and ask which ones they have

A few years back people who had HTC Vives and whatever else seemed pretty keen to let people have a go. Sharing interests and all that. Maybe you can ask around in your local area somehow?

Some libraries have headsets you can loan, which can be a great option.

Like another commenter said, VR arcades are pretty widespread and affordable. In my area, though, most of them use HTC Vive or Valve Index. I don't think I've ever seen Meta headsets anywhere.

I bought a Vive a while back to try it, and returned it when it didn't outperform my Valve Index. I highly recommend not buying a Facebook (Oculus) headset, though. Look into the insanely invasive privacy concerns.

They are cheaper because you are the product, and thus they profit off selling your private data.