Thanks for all the suggestions guys. So basically, my best option is to go the used route?
I thought about this a lot initially and perused the local craigslist postings, but I simply couldnt figure out what was a good bike and whether the asking price was reasonable.
I didnt want to end up with a 'lemon' bike after all that trouble.

But as bikemig and old's'cool suggested, i will post these craigslist adds in a thread to get some feedback.
In the meantime, I am gonna head over to the performance bike store to check out those bikes in person.

Thanks again for all the input
Dan