I just went on GunBroker.com and saw a new Bushmaster ta Buy Now price for $829. This is about what they sold during the Clinton Y2K scare. Sadly the “scare” is real.
I bought a S&W M&P15ORC new for $999 in early 2009. I could have bought the same rifle from the same dealer last week for around $700, and there might also have been a $50 rebate available IIRC...
In late 2009 I bought a new S&W M&P15FT for $1150 IIRC, and I’m not sure that I could do any better right now. So it does depend somewhat on the exact model and features. YMMV...