Looking to spend $800 on a new road bike

The used junk Marin I bought second hand needs a lot of new repairs plus the frame never quite fit me, so I'm thinking it's time I just went ahead with a brand new bike (I'm really not interested in the Craigslist route at the moment). Preferably, I'd like to purchase one in a bout a month, but one of the current (seemingly) best-bang-for-your-buck is the 2016 Allez E5 Sport for $800. These are starting to sell out everywhere though, so I'd need to test ride one and jump on it if I really like it. Do you have any thoughts on the 2016 Allez base model? Is the Sport that much of a step up since it goes from a 8 to 9 speed? What other models should I perhaps be looking at? I just want something that's speedy and rides well with a great frame so if I do decide to upgrade stuff down the road I have that option. Thanks!
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I don't have any experience with the Allez personally, other than it seems like an incredibly popular bike!
http://www.bikeradar.com/tags/specialized-allez/
The above link is a hub page BikeRadar created for all things Allez which may help.
Are you located in the US?
(Variance in price between Aus, US and Canada!)
Cheers.
The frame is solid and worthy of upgrading and looks like a real road bike instead of a cheap attempt at one.
Go for it and you won't be disappointed.
Mine now has full Shimano 105 and a much sleeker saddle bag.
I wish they sold the Allez Sport in the green that other Allez models are in, but oh well. I'll probably end up going with the blue.