these are still a great camera.. and it'd be hard decision to give up mine! SLRs since the 40D have chased smaller pixels so signal/noise performance has not gotten any better (sometimes worse) since then (except for 5DmkII).
for a 'serious' beginner who wants great results with the robustness and ease of operation of a DSLR and working with lenses (like
this) and independence from laptops etc this sort of camera would be high up on my list of recommendations. just my two cents.. (of course i have an interest in talking up the second hand market too :-)
Phil