To be honest, you can do better for $500. If you look at the specs they are all bottom line parts. Also you can spend just a little more and get a lot better bike. Go to some places on the net that sell disontinued bikes and compare but I think you can do better for the money. One good place for closeout bikes is supergo:
http://www.supergo.com
There are many more than just this one too, maybe someone here will pipe up with more sources. Look around on the net and if you find a place post here about it and someone can probably tell you if they are reputable. I have dealt with Supergo and I can vouch for them, at least.
Here's another one, but I've never bought from them:
http://www.bicycleblowout.com/MountainBikes.htm