ILS30LGB,
If you have a FAA CPL/ME there is no 6 hrs requirement anymore. The MEP is REALLY easy, a friend of mine did it one Sunday afternoon without even preparing it (hadn't flown a multi in 7 years !).
Your prices are about right, I paid 300p/hr for a brand new PA44 with HSI, de-ice, dual GNS430, RMI, etc ...
I strongly suggest to find an aircraft that has a RMI and not an RBI only. It will help a lot with the NDB approaches.
Again, I ended up by paying $15k with minimums (15hrs IR, 10hrs CPL, first time ATPL passes).
good luck my friend ...