I'm not trying to trash your thread (I'm probably the only one who isn't) but any 3-letter dictionary word .com will exceed your budget by at least $40,000. Even non-premium LLL.coms are going for $5-10K most places. 3-letter dictionary word .nets are a bargain at $4000.
I'll sell you Wak.net (which is a slang word for Whack or Wack) for $2250. Let me know. My offer ends in 72 hours.