for 1K you've got a lot of options. You can get a great xc hardtail for that price from any company or you can get their extry level decent f/s bike. The 1K hardtail has about the same specs as the 1.5K f/s which means it's pretty good. With the entry f/s bike you will need upgrades but it's definately a place to start till you get the cash. I'm not you so i cant tell you what to do but you just gotta think which route you wanna go. I ride an FSR which is great but it was a 2K bike, but none the less you can get the same frame at the 1K price. It works that way for most of the bike companys anymore, and if it isn't the same exact frame the linkage points and everything else are the same.

BTW i wont mention anything about cannondale A2