1D MK IV or wait?

[Kayaker72]

Yeah, the old camera bodies do not lose function with new releases. All the hype may make it seem otherwise, but they are just as good as they ever were. So old camera bodies, especially the 1D series, are still "awesome." Just that the newer bodies, such as the 1Dx is "awesome.......er".

I agree with Joel, a used 1DIV sounds like a good option for you. It will let you take professional level photographs within your budget. I will throw out that at 6 fps, the 5DIII shouldn't be discounted for sports and will give you a lot of the recent advances such as high ISO performance. But I understand the draw of the 1DIV.

EDIT...missed HDNitehawk's (Rick's) post while writing mine. For your budget, I think considering the 5DIII and older 1D series bodies would be wise. The 7DII may or may not be released in 2013. It may or may not be within your price range. It may or may not be a significant upgrade over the 7D. That is a lot of unknowns. You can only buy what someone is selling and right now, the 7DII doesn't exist.