I don't remember TM's having a hot chick on the bases, but edge pull outs spell TM's almost like no other ski. I had an old pair as well and tore out large chunks of edge, and delammed 3 out of 4 tips/tails. They were great skis while they lasted, but they didn't last me long.
For $200, I'd look at any deals you can find on previous year's skis. Look for a ski from a company with a good reputation of not losing edges (ie., I'd be inclined to look for K2's or Armadas, avoid Salomon Suspects and really any of Dynastar's skis, especially if you hit a lot of rails)
TM's are a poppy ski - the tips and tails are fairly soft but their construction (can't come up with the name right now, springblade maybe?) made them extremely poppy and light. They were awesome jump/pipe skis, but did not fare very well on rails.
