Craig,
$6000 will give you an excellent 720p DLP projector today, and the price will only go down in the coming months.
That said, go visit one of those snobby "high-end" HT dealers in your local area. They usually have nicely set up FP demo rooms. After all, you don't have to buy an expensive projector from them (such as the overpriced Runco or Sim2).
In fact, that's exactly what I did: I demo'ed my beloved projector (Yamaha LPX-500; 720p LCD) initially in one of my local high-end shops, who was selling it at near MSRP ($5500). In the end, I picked it up in Tokyo while I was there in a business trip, for ~$2800.
