Buying a basic Bianchi, KHS, Norco, etc. and upgrading will of course cost you the same as a higher end bike in the end (assuming you upgrade / replace parts as they go). However, that's the only option available for a lot of people (myself included at times). If I were you, I'd go with the KHS / Mercier option ... it's a nice frame that's worth putting the effort into adding nice components.
- eyefloater