I bought a Trek 1.2 a few months back, my brother bought a Merida last week. Spec-wise they're supposed to be very similar, the only difference being that mine has Shimano Sora gears and his Merida has what ever the next step up from that is.

The Merida was listed around €1300 and the Trek at €920 but we each ended up spending €1000 including accesories. He got about €400 off the bike, I only got about €100 off mine. I went back today and told the man he probably wanted to give me a free Jersey to make up for it so he eventually gave in but explaind there's a lot more room to negotiate on a Merida than a Trek.

I'm not sure whether thats the case or my brother is just a lot better at bargaining than me. Anyways, my question is, am I better off with a Trek than a Merida or are they pretty much the same?