Bumping this thread because I'm thinking about the same thing lately.
I could kick myself for not buying an Iron Horse Yakuza when you could pick them up new for under $600.
Then I did the same thing, hesitating and second guessing before buying a KHS Lucky 7 when the older models were on sale new for under $1k. I don't care for the newer model, and it costs considerably more.
I understand that some of these bikes are not very choice, but for the money, and for someone that just wants to try out a bit more aggressive riding without cashing in my savings, they looked awesome. At least some were a good starting point.
What I don't understand is, with the economy the way it is, why do bike companies think there's a market for $2k-$3k bikes, but not for $1k bikes? I know mountain biking has taken a back seat to fixies and all that lately, but I'm sick to death of walking into various SoCal bike shops where they only have ONE full suspension bike in stock, and it is a 4" travel XC bike, and it is in the $2k-$4k range.