I've the Kurt Kinetic Fluid trainer as well, and as far as trainers go I really like it. Nice and quiet - gets the job done. If I didn't live in a small apartment where space is a concern I probably would have considered a spin bike, but trainers don't take up much room and fold up nicely for storage.

BTW, I got mine new and came in under your budget. KK does have a really high end version that is higher than that, but most fall under that $500. At least they did last year...