I'm not rich at all. I work at a McDonald's (I'm 17) about 40 hours a week (@ $5.75 an hour). The only reasons I can afford the amp are (A.- I got a great deal on the head, it was $399 from ugbm.com (check their site out, you can save a ton of cash) and I'm getting a great deal on a 4x12 cab locally, and (B.- I don't drive, so I don't have any payments to make (that's why I don't drive). I don't party or anything either, so I don't blow cash on that (I've got my priorities straight. Guitar and music first, everything else second).
You just don't realize how much you can get with $500 if you shop around. Check digibid.com , ugbm.com , musiciansfriend.com , samash.com , americanmusical.com , and check the retailer section at harmonycentral.com .
Also, check your local music store and pawn shops (be sure to inspect thier stuff thoroughly so you don't get junk) frequently.
By the way, before you buy anything online, be sure to do a background check on the retailer.

Assuming you mean the GX-1200, the distortion is decent, but the main reason to buy the amp is the power. Just find a good distortion pedal/preamp device (try to find a Mesa V-Twin, lat time I checked, they had oneat ugbm.com) into either the clean channel or the return input of the effects loop. You can get the GX-1200 half stack (GX-1200 head+ a 4x12 cab) from samash.com for $599. You might even like the onboard distortion enough to use it without a pedal (but I doubt it).