The HP1600 ships with starter cartridges. Definitely not a good value.
The 2600 and 2605 models ship with full cartridges. Yes, replacement set of all four is equal to or exceed price of a new printer. Keep an eye out for specials at the big box office stores; Ive seen the 2605dn go for as little as $300.
I have both 2600n and 2605dn. The built-in networking works like a charm, though be sure to get the latest firmware and software updates. For the little bit extra money, the 2605dn is the better way to go. Much faster, built in duplexing, can accept extra printer RAM (which I installed very easily).