I just purchased a Dell Inspiron 1100 for a college bound girl (a client). Ended up being less than $1000. I can get discounts on my SMB Dell account. You can always order through Dell Home, but they charge a little more.
Email me @
chris@implexantsystems.com for more info.
Also, Toshiba seems to make a pretty good laptop. I just personally like Dells
-Chris