Since there haven't been any deals posted that actually apply to me - I'll respond to what has been said in this thread so far. I probably should have addressed the Wii/Gamecube issue in the first post, but I didn't...so I'll explain now.
Basically, the Gamecube is one of my favorite consoles ever. For the forseeable future I would like to have one in my posession to take out and play at any time. The one I have currently happens to have A LOT of playtime on it. I really am not sure how much longer it will last. I know Nintendo puts out their consoles (and handhelds) with durability and longevity in mind, but it is a disc based system. It will fail at some point (which could be a problem because I still have more than 3/4ths of my Gamecube library to play and complete). I also have a Game Boy Player that will continue to be used for a good while. With all that said, those aren't the main reasons I am looking for a new system.
The primary reason I am seeking a new 'Cube is that my current one is going to the girlfriend. She was interested in getting one (loves Donkey Konga) - so I am just giving her mine. I don't want a Wii as a replacement despite its backwards compatiblity. It just doesn't have enough games I'm interested at this time to make it a good buy for me. The limited availability of the Wii and the $300+ I would be dropping on the console itself, a game, and an extra wiimote/nunchuck combo just confirm that.
I was looking for a new replacement 'Cube for myself because I wanted one with absolutely no mileage on it. Some people treat their stuff like shit; I don't want some used and possibly abused console from someone else. So, I prefer picking up the system as new.
Hopefully, I can get one in the price range of $50 to $75. For the last few weeks, I have been checking the site on and off for any possible combination of coupons/Google Checkout/clearance price drops/etc to get one on the cheap. I really haven't had any luck, so I decided to create this topic. It would be cool if something came of this and I was able to get a cheapass 'Cube - if not, its no big loss.