You can buy a better camera, but plan on adding a few grand

This camera belonged to our school paper before I started as the instructor, so it is older than the 9 months I've used it. The body has that cheap, plasticy look going on, and I wish it was a touch heavier (even slightly larger lenses really throw it off balance) I've been told that the BG-E1 battery grip can do a lot to fix the balance problem. The performance— Wow!
I bought a 420 flash, but I can't seem to get students to use it. They opt for underexposed shots made with the built-in flash, which is ok, because even in photos not shot in RAW, we can balance the exposure in Photoshop with no problems. Some of our worst underexposed shots have become amazing finished images. If you aren't going to Photoshop, use an external flash anytime you are indoors (which you should do with any camera).
These things are disappearing fast, and I haven't checked out the new Rebel, so if you find a new 300D, especially in black (so it doesn't look like a toy), grab it now!