You won't find new ones. For one in most retail shops they've stopped selling older model Iphones and you don't want anything below 3G (The first Iphone models are basically fancy junk now).
iphone - Google Product Search
The ones in that price range are all refurbished or used.
Iphone from my experience are really tough. But many of them end up suffering sensor damage if you drop them a lot so with touchscreen smart phones going second hand is a gamble.
Blackberry with their OS 6 coming out soon is going to be good. Their new phones Storm 2 and Bold 2 are doing very good. Bold 2 is a big hit for office use, but I like touchscreens because I like a bigger screen and my typing is top notch, so it the virtual keyboard is no problem, but its all a matter of taste.
I will suggest to get a 3G phone and get a mobile phone service provider that can give you a good 3G package (unlimited usage is always nice).
Install some PC to phone package on your phone and then make free calls internationally (by free I mean, pay a monthly fee only).
