I have the current version, it's excellent. The new one, assuming it ever comes, will almost certainly be a lot more expensive. If recent history is a guide (70-200 II, 24-70 II), the price of the original version will rise when the new one comes out, and the prices on the used market will follow. That means you can buy the original now, especially during a rebate, and likely sell it when the new one comes out for around the same price you paid for it, or at least only a couple of hundred less.