I bought my D80 at release, almost a year ago now, and paid a bit more than that but that price STILL seems a bit too low - ? I haven't watched the prices in a while but shop around.
I am also picky about USA models vs. gray market cameras - the latter having no MANUFACTURER warranty in the USA. You may want to beware. A lot of these Brooklyn basement camera shops sell gray market cameras, often offering a 1 yr. warranty (through them, NOT the manufacturer).
Another thing to be careful of are online retailers with very low prices. They will often call to "confirm your order" and in try to talk to you into high mark-up accessories. If you don't buy them, all of a sudden your order is canceled, the camera is back ordered, etc...
I am personally a Nikon shooter but I would recommend Canons for many DSLR beginners. The bodies are usually a bit cheaper but the lenses are often considerably cheaper (than Nikon). This can be especially true when you get into the lenses with vibration reduction, etc...
Your kit lens (the ones that come with the bodies) will serve you well for a while but they aren't going to make you happy when you want to start shooting sports or concerts.
http://kenrockwell.com/Many consider this guy to be an arrogant ---- and he is very heavily Nikon-biased but when you cut through to the material his site and articles contain a LOT of useful information.
Good luck!