I purchased a 2002 rockhopper comp (v-brakes) and I love the bike. Only occasionally do I see fs bikes on the trail and feel like I should have saved more and gotten one. I paid 650 back in may, so with 03 bikes starting to come out that price is sure to have dropped some. You getting a lot of bike for your money here. LX rear and deor front. The Manitou fork is very plush which compliments technical terrain but hurts you a little in the racing category.
The only thing I could say that was mediocre with this bike (for its price range) is the stem and seatpost. I fixed this by switching them for a thompson post and stem.
Bottom line im loving my bike, and dont plan on upgrading to a FS till the frame breaks.