and i agree look on craiglist first..i did for a week and really saw nothing that caught my eye..except some really cheap bikes..or some nice bikes that where HOT for a few hundred bucks..and most were 5 years old or more..So i just spent the 505 bucks and got the 7.3..best bike ive owned.
well before this i had a Haro in the 90's and various cheap Huffy from the folks..which i abused as a kid..but yeah..anything under 700 is a very nice ride, compared with Walmart bikes.