RE: Best compound bow in the $500 range
I also agree on buying a good used bow or a brand new "last year's" model. Perfect example, I bought my 2007 Tribute brand newwith 08' "upgrades" cheaper than what people were selling used Tributes for. Even had a dealer offer me what I paid for it because he said he coudn't get it that cheap. For these reasons I don't really see me walking into an archery shop and walking out with a "new" bow anymore. Saving $400 is worth the wait of a few months when they are considered "last year's".
I also agree that theclassifieds on AT are the best on the web. Scottie is a super guy to deal with. He is also the guy that I bought my Tribute from and I just emailed him asking him what he had laying around because I plan on buying another bow from him soon.
I much rather wait until the end of the year and buy a brand new top of the line bow from any big name that you can think of for "used" bow prices than go buy a mid priced bow new.