I'm not sure what she paid exactly, but in 1998 (or so), when she bought it, it was probably around the $500 mark. maybe her Thrill is a low end one, or the model has gone upscale. My Gary Fisher Advance was about the same, maybe on sale at $450, but that was bought in 1995. No idea what it costs today.
No doubt, what you can buy today is good quality, and if you look at it over 10-20 years, not a bad price. Unfortunately, one does not buy bikes one year at a time--it's all up front.