Hi Folks.
I will share a prejudiced and different view. For the serious amateur, many entry level cameras come packaged with seeds of discontent that will sprout a few months on and cause one to want to upgrade as soon as he learns a little more about photography. Things the newcomer does not even know to appreaciate will bubble up, and upgrade fever will set in.
The best value in an entry level camera for the serious imagemaker just might be a used, but pampered, mid-level camera of a form factor designed for advanced photography enthusiasts. By way of example, I am thinking of Canon 40D, 50D, and Nikon D80, and D90. These cameras include features like bright pentaprism finder, depth of field preview, and more direct and tangible access to important controls that would be of interest to seasoned photographers. Less menu wading.
If one is thinking full frame, now is a good time to consider a Canon 5D or 5D MkII, or a Nikon D700. These very good cameras are going to see their prices pushed downward now, as their highly visible descendents take center stage and forum spotlights.
When one buys a new camera, he can enjoy the "smell of new" as he opens the package. He can brag about the new, expanded feature list that the new camera has. A few weeks later on, he will have a used camera. And the reality of its abilities and limitations will be more evident. All cameras were once new. And all of them are used a short while after purchase. New technology will outdate whatever camera one has bought in a short time, but it will in no wise disable it.
The upline Nikons have the motor that makes their older screw-driven lenses AF. In fact, they support Nikkor glass back to 1959. Entry level Nikons, as mentioned, lack the requisite motor to turn the screw to make old Nikkors AF. Canons just don't require that screw and in-camera motor. Canon EOS cameras, by reason of their short film-to-flange distance, will adapt to just about any other-brand glass. Nikon has no such flexibility.
If thinking Nikon, I would not get an entry level model. If I were determined to have an entry level camera new in the box, I would get a Canon. If new did not matter, I would get a mid-level camera (even used if necessary),
Enough...