You want to get the most scope for your money, but like any good tool, you want it to last a long time, so expect to pay out a bit more for quality and performance. I purchased a LeCroy WaveJet after graduation, and it still meets all my needs. The only thing I don't like about it is the noisy fan. LeCroy's WaveJet line does a quite well with packing a lot of feature into a reasonably priced scope. Tek and Agilent don't really have a product comparable to the WaveJet - it sits right between the low end and mid range products from these companies. Having said that, if you can afford a mid range scope from Agilent, they are great - the fastest and most responsive (digital) scopes I've ever used. On the Tek end of things, they still make the most user friendly and solidly built scopes out there - I feel like I could knock a Tek scope off my desk, and it would still work perfectly when I pick it up off the floor.
All things considered, I think you should try to double your budget - $2k just isn't enough to make a future-proof investment. With the way electronics is evolving, I wouldn't consider buying a scope with less than 200MHz bandwidth and a deep memory (at least 500kpts).
Is that just off the Information Super-Highway?
If A = B and B = C, then A = C, except where void or prohibited by law. -- Roy Santoro