Start by reading through this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=56148
There is a lot of good advice listed there. Your budget is slightly higher so just move up to the next higher bike in the product lines you select.
I recommend concentrating on a good frame and then a really good fork. The rest are "consumable" components and get replaced with more frequency.
By "consumable" I mean that a derailleur may break in a crash or a seat gets torn. Plus there isn't too much difference in peformance levels between middle of the line-up and top of the line, so start with what you can afford and replace parts as they wear out or break.
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