Just in case you decide to look at used bows, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Compounds are notorious for losing their value quickly, as 98redline said. The reason is they are often heavily abused and flat worn out. Did the guy you got it from only use it a month or two every year or did he shoot the living sap out of it in hardcore 3D competition? Did the owner do his own work on the bow or always take it to a shop? If he did his own work, was he a competent bow mechanic? Unless you personally know the guy, you don't know and you have no idea what that bow has been through or how well it's been maintained.

The very first thing a prudent buyer should do when getting a used bow is get it to the pro shop and have the string and cables replaced, and get the cams and axles checked to make sure they're not bent. It needs to be checked to see if the riser is bent or twisted. It must be gone over with a fine toothed comb, looking for anything wrong. Sometimes the cost of fixing up a used bow is more than the bow was worth when it was new.

You can often get a great deal. You can also take one heckuva beating.

As to the Bruin or Nova, I agree that the Bruin is a bit higher up the quality scale but there's nothing wrong with the Nova either, if you want to keep the cost down. You can shop around and get both in package deals. A Nova with the upgraded accessory package is better to have than a Bruin with the el cheapo package, for sure.

I've never been too fond of accessory packages though. I'd buy the bare bow and put together my own accessories. Doing that, I'd go with the Bruin.