D SLR help.?

I'm 17 years old and really into photography. It seems that every year I am outgrowing my camera. At the prices of digital cameras it is getting hard moneywise to keep up with the technology. I work at a camera shop but they have limited information on Digital SLRs being they are mostly a darkroom centered business. I have been looking into the Canon Rebel XTi lately and I have been thinking about purchasing it. The only thing holding me back is that Canon recently came out with a newer model called the Canon Rebel XSi. Um I was wondering if any of you guys had either one of the cameras or know something about them to steer me in the right direction.

Oh and my pricerange is $1000, i cant go higher than that. The Canon Rebel XTi is $699 and the Canon Rebel XSi is $899 so for the extra $200 i would rather get the newer one so i don't grow out of it as fast if the newer one is any better.

Hi dear,who said the newer is better? this is a nice and money making sentence of business persons.in Dslr world the camera body like canon xti is just the 10 percent important,because most of the features come in hand rarely and some are much much more than the needs of a photographer.for example the bare eye can not recognize the difference between a 5 megapixel and a 10 megapixel picture printed in 18*20 cm.the difference can be seen when you print the pics in huge poster size.so the difference between 10 and 12 megapixel is NOTHING.or the shutter speed,are intersted in taking pics of F1 car races? with a shutter speed like 1/4000 second you can take a clear picture of a car that moves in 300 km/h.so it is usually USELESS.
you may ask what is important in DSLR's?the answer is actually the main difference between slr's and compact cameras,the "lenses".when you have the chance to change your camera lens,having a high quality(not expensive)lens can make a big big difference in picture quality.a high quality lens is not always expensive but with a DSLR you may want to have 2 to 6 various lenses with various usage.here you may need to manage your money.except lenses you need a high quality bag to carry your camera and lenses safely,an external flash,a tripod,some extra memory cards,an extra battery or a vertical battery grip,some cleaning liquids and brushes,some filters,and so on.having all these at first is not necessary but when your skills improve you may need them.and the last advice,do not buy a DSLR in the way you buy clothes.a DSLR is a fine machine and fine machines never become old fashioned.
SO,TO MAKE LONG STORY SHORT.BUY CANON 400D(XTi) WITH ITS KIT LENS AND SAVE SOME TO BUY A 55-200mm OR 18-200mm EXTRA LENS FOR THE BEGINNING,AND A SMALL WAIST OR SHOULDER BAG,A 4 GB MEMORY STICK AND NOTHING ELSE.WHEN YOUR SKILLS IMPROVED YOU'LL KNOW WHAT TO BUY.OR BUY A NIKON D40x AND THE ACCESSORIES I MENTIONED ABOVE.
good luck.

With the new Canon out, you may want to wait a bit to see if the XT (not XTI) will drop in price as it is older but still a great camera. This will leave you tons of money for better glass which will be more fun to play with.

Go to a photo store and handle each one and buy the one that "sings" to you. Just because one is being discontinued doesn't mean it's now junk.