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I would be careful about purchasing a used carbon frame. Inspect it carefully to make sure it has not been crashed, etc. When carbon fiber fails it will shatter creating a very dangerous situation if you are moving fast, etc. I hear people talk about carbon frames as "one crash bikes".
Carbon has its benefits because it can be molded in pretty much any shape which gives the design engineer a chance to get closer to the ideal strengh/stiffness/weight ratio. Carbon bikes and forks are designed to be a good balance between stiffness, but still will adsorb road shock to provide a comfortable ride.
Aluminum is light but stiff. These days, aluminum is fine for a suspension mountain bike, but I think other materials are better for road riding.
Titanium is light and less stiff than aluminum and is a great material for a metal road bike, but titanium is expensive.
Steel is classic. It might be a little heavier, but is less expensive and can provide a great ride. If you tweek a steel frame you can often bend it back into place.
There are other materials, but these are the most common.
Trek makes a good road bike (Lance Armstrong will be riding a Trek in the Tour de France this year). I think they pioneered the bonded aluminum frame building technique, then developed similar technique for carbon. Gary Fisher was a leading mountain bike company. Now Trek owns Fisher (along with Lemond and Bontrager, I think). I don't know much about Fisher road bikes but I still own an old Fisher no-suspension mountain bike that is sweet.
I think at below $1000 any name-brand company is going to make a decent bike. Like I said before, ride the different bikes, find one that fits your body and your riding style and then and only then decide what color you want. Good luck.
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