+1 - to the '04- '05. as the best bang for the buck
May we call you Scotty?
I'm figuring that you must be Scottish since:
a ) You say you toss the caber.
b ) Your original post specifically asks "What year would give me the best bang for the buck?" revealing your inner frugal nature.
So getting directly to the point on #2, with their being so few tangible differences between years, the bike you can score in the best shape at the lowest price will end up being the best bang for your buck. I'd be perfectly happy with either an '04 or '05 if the miles are reasonable (so don't buy ScooterG's dirty old whore) and the price is commensurate for its age.
The good news is that the 1st gens were sold under the PDP, meaning the original owners had to order them from dealers sight unseen. Many of these owners found out later that they really aren't the "touring" type of rider they had hoped they'd be, and so didn't put many miles on them. It isn't all that unusual to find an '04 or '05 bike with less than 20k miles on it.
If you can find yourself a nice Bass Bote Blue one w/ ABS and afew farkles, maybe ~20k miles on it for say ~$6500 or so, That would be the bike to buy.
And no, you can't have mine, which fits that description except for the miles. It's
not for sale!! :lol: