I'm not a big Kimber fan and I'll leave it at that. For your price range, I would recommend a Dan Wesson stainless Valor or a Les Baer blued Premier II. Both might be slightly more but are worth it. I speak from experience as I own an earlier Valor and other DWs. I also own two Baers including a Premier II.
Dan Wesson had a fire at their production facility about 45 days ago which has made them harder to find than usual. You might be able to locate the stainless Valor for near the price. It is an excellent pistol for all the reasons Shane Tuttle mentioned. Dan Wesson also had a run of the RZ Heritage model before the fire and you may find these for a bit less. It is an excellent pistol, just not finished quite as nice as the Valor (e.g., no checkering on front strap). There's one listing for the stainless Valor at
http://www.gunsamerica.com/936384142...SSON_VALO.htm#. I notice the same seller has a black "blem" for about the same price. The "blems" are usually hard to detect.
The Les Baer Premier II is an old school "hard fit" pistol, meaning lots of hand fitting. They are known for being accurate and reliable. There is one available at
http://www.gunsamerica.com/907437916..._45_acp_NE.htm.
In addition, there are some dealers with good reps who usually provide a discount on Baers off of MSRP. These include:
Jerry Hammond at Hammond's Gun and Tackle at
http://hammondgunandtackle.com/. I have purchased from Jerry and he is a stand-up guy. He doesn't carry a large inventory but might have the Premier II on hand as it is probably Baer's flagship pistol.
Crazy John at
http://cj1911heaven.com/. Don't let the sparse website fool you. He normally has a large stock of Baers on hand. I have not purchased from him but he has an excellent reputation.
George at Gunslingers:
http://www.migunslingers.com/. Again, I have not purchased from him but he has an excellent reputation. Added: Gunslingers also offers a layaway plan which may or may not be important to others viewing this.