I think I saw you were looking for around $500. New, I'd advise stretching a bit and going with the Delta 36-725 or Ridgid R4560. They could well be all the saw you'll ever need for well under $1000. If you must go value, DeWalt or the clones with rack-and-pinion fences are probably best, but DeWalt has made a reputation as pro-sumer level for the tools they still sell in the woodworking space and will likely serve you well.

Used or clearance, an R4512, R4520, or one of the clones from Menards or Craftsman is also good, though the fence isn't as well thought-of.

Now, if you want real value for money, and you have time, the best thing to do is still to find your local FB woodworking group, or use CL and Marketplace, to hunt for a steal. Here's what you want to look for:

• Cast Iron table, 27" deep. That has been the standard for 80 years. It works well, provides stability, and many jigs are built around it.
• 10-inch blade. Less is limiting (and probably ancient), more is excessive and expensive and probably not a saw set up to serve a beginner well.
• Belt-drive with induction motor. Ignore any ratings above 2HP for a 110-120v saw; they're peak HP marketing nonsense, but do make sure you get something more than 1.
• Minimal rust on table, and none of any note on the internals. Once you feel good about cleaning up rust, that's actually a way to extract further value, but it's a lot of work and/or chemicals, and it's just gonna be a beatdown on your first saw.
• A riving knife, splitter, guard with a splitter, or at least room on the insert to add one.
• A fence that's in good repair. Preferably a T-Square Biesemeyer style fence made of angle iron, square tube, a cam-lock, and some facing material. That said, Any fence other than this (crap), or this (old and too many small parts to crap out on you) that comes on a saw that meets the rest of the criteria will probably be half decent or better.
• Comes with a miter gauge in good repair. Yes, you'll probably want to make a sled, but it should still have a decent gauge.
• Blade height and angle wheels move relatively smoothly throughout their full range of motion.
• WORKS. Make the owner rip a length of 2x4 and, if they have it, some 3/4" hard wood. If the fence locks down securely, it sails through that without complaint or the owner having to dick around with the saw, and there's no ungodly screeches then it's probably not going to let you down.

Market is hugely variable, but with patience, a saw like that can still be had for less than $400 in large metro areas in the US. Common brands are Delta, Craftsman (mostly the "113" series of models made by Emerson), and Ridgid (some of which are also made by Emerson). Note that many of these are "outboard" contractor saws where the motor hangs out the back of the saw. Given that you actually need outfeed, I don't think this should be a dealbreaker, but it is nice to have the motor under the table, and a few extreme bevels are easier. Besides that, here are some other nice-to-haves that can bump up a saw's price, but you shouldn't let somebody add crazy amounts:

• Cast iron wings, preferably solid (versus ribbed). They add extra mass and stay flatter, but honestly they're rare on the value-priced secondary market. Certainly nice, but one where the cost often outweighs the value-add.
• Adaptations for dust collection. The outboard saws are notoriously bad at this, but you can do non-invasive mods to make it much better, and messy as they are, table saws don't produce the real lung-killing superfine dust that sanders do, or the massive amounts of shavings that jointers and planers do. Still, anything beyond stock would be nice.
• Router table
• Mobile base of some sort
• Jigs and sleds in good repair and made for this specific saw.
• Extra blades, including dados.
• Blade wrenches and other accessories