I have been told I can build one from parts much cheaper, but I am not so sure about that.
You should be. Do what I did on my first. Buy a stripped lower when they get discounted. Basically any stripped lower will suffice, I bought an SAA for $65. Buy a lower parts kit and whatever furniture that you would like and grab a complete upper from PSA or SAA. It would be within reason to get a lower for $80 without looking very hard, an LPK with buttstock for under $150, and a complete upper for $400. Peruse the internet and you can find detailed directions on assembling your lower and its pretty satisfying doing so.
As far as the comment about not buying to re-sell, I don't buy to re-sell either, but I do keep in mind when buying "if I have to re-sell this for some reason, how easy will it be?"
That is one reason to buy common calibers, and black guns, they sell quicker if you need to.
I guess I will try to be patient and continue to search. I appreciate all the feedback. I must say though, that a lot of the suggestions for parts and complete rifles are listed on the companies websites as "out of stock"