But I have a hard decision to make...Either I spend about 350 US dollars and get the brand new Rigol DS1052E that Dave went on about or I can take my chances with Ebay
I'd say that's no contest, definitely the Rigol. An analog scope has few advantages (mainly lower noise floor) over a modern digital, and the few that have storage capability are extremely limited compared to a modern scope. You can still learn with a Rigol, and you can save up and pick up an analog later on as well.
I'd consider Ebay a last resort. With a brand new scope you know what you're getting, and using craigslist (etc.) to buy locally you can at least verify basic function before you pay. If you get a lemon on Ebay the best case scenario leaves you minus the cost to ship it back to the seller, and it can turn out worse.
That all just my opinion. I know how it stings to have nothing at all to work with. You might try to wait it out a bit and see if Dave gets one of the new
Instek scopes he mentioned in the last live show to review. It's $415 or so from tequipment.net and has better specs on paper than the Rigol (minus the mod to 100MHz).
Edit: I just noticed that you said you were in the US. If you decide to get the Rigol I'd strongly advise dealing with a US dealer like tequipment.net rather than trying to shave off $15 and buying direct from overseas. There was a good reason to consider it while the prices were over $100 higher here, but it's nearly the same now so there's little point in taking the risk. Just my 2Ω.