"I still like it, though. "

Like I said, it is a very nice bike. I'll take it if you decide it's not for you. Alas, it is prolly too small for me. You'll like it.

The lower end Treks are pretty good. Early on, one big difference was the tubing they used; in ascending price, it was Ishiwata, Reynolds 531, and Columbus. The Ishiwata frames were cheapest, but many riders felt the Ishiwata was as good or better than the other two, and the bikes bargins.

By the time of your bike, there was more difference between models-- geometry, etc..