Murdy

Consider used. I bought my last bow about 5 years ago. It was a 2 or 3 years old Hoyt Trykon which I still use and plan to for a while. Paid about $300, bow only, on ebay.

NYBowhunter71

I always liked Hoyts, very quiet bows. I am selling my AlphaMax which has brand new strings and cables for $450. But if you want a new bow, I would suggest going to the store and shooting a few, to get an idea for how they shoot, weight, feel, etc. And as mentioned previously, some places will take trade-ins as well.

gamsmith

The only thing that makes me nervous about ebay is the fact that you never know how the bow was treated. One small hairline crack that is unseen can turn out pretty nasty. Hoping I can find something I like that's new. At least I know I will have fun testing plenty of them out.

Bigeclipse

is 500 your budget for a bare bow or a loaded bow? Bare, you can find some decent bows, loaded and you will not find much unless you go used.
If I was on a budget I would stay away from Martin and Hoyt...great bows and i own a hoyt but there are better bows for the money. Look into PSE and Bowtech, they use to have a bad name...kind of like how Hyundai cars were crap back in the day, but now a Hyundai sonata is as good as a toyota camry but cost much less. PSE and Bowtech have come a long way...just my opinion

Psylocide

The Martin Hunter or Bear Super Grizzly are right around 500, "fully loaded" even.

Jbergy

As mentioned above go to a couple different shops and shoot some bows. You should also try to find a shop that is an elite bow dealer. Try the elite challenge! These bows are very nice shooting bows. I pers

Jbergy

I personally shoot an Elite Answer and I have owned, high country, Mathews, bear, PSE and browning and in my opinion the elite is a very good shooting bow. This is the only bow that I have put accessories on and the bow has tuned perfectly....literally! I operate a small pro shop in my area and Mathews, Hoyt, bowtech and strother are pretty popular and I have customers come try the elites and they love them more than their current bow. I wouldn't own a martin bow. I got a customer that has a Bengal pro that has blown up on him twice since October 2012. They also have to much cam lean. Buy new if you can help it this way you know nothing has been damaged before you got it. In my opinion Elite so has the best warranty in the industry. It is a lifetime transferable warranty(which means if you sell the bow the warranty goes with it) this makes it easy to resell. Also if you damage your bow in any way and you need it fixed ASAP Elite will send you a loaner bow so you are not with out a bow to finish your once lifetime hunting trip or 3d tournament etc. their customer is awesome too. That's my two cents on it. Also don't buy based on FPS you will never achieved what they advertise it at.

DarnYankee

I would recommend waiting until the new 2014 bows come out. At the beginning of 2013 after the new bows came out, I purchased a new 2012 PSE Dreamseason EVO. Listed for $899. The owner (archery shop located in Arkansas) on Ebay was asking $750. I offered $625 and they accepted the offer. Perfect bow, brand new, never shot, still new in the box. I would pick a bow just above your budget and wait just after the new bows come out. You will have the upper hand when everyone else will be looking for the new model bows. Shops/dealers don't want to hold onto last year's new bows and are normally very willing to deal. It worked well for me. Good luck!!!