Well first lemme sasy good choice on your first bike.
I'd buy one used. New bikes depreciate in value no matter what type of bike they are.. I've seen people sell their used 250's for more than they paid for 'em after riding them 5,000 miles. It's a great starter bike, but since '94 (I believe) they have been mostly unchanged mechanically. So an older one for $1500 is going to be just as modern as a 2005 for a couple thousand more.
I'd look for one on ebay or cycle trader, they pop up there all the time.
However if you choose to buy used, make sure you see the bike before you buy it (you'd think this wouldn't hafta be mentioned, but quite a few people have their bike shipped and open the crate and quickly become like this guy --->
) and make sure you sit down and read through this:
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/buying-bike.html#1