Cheaper alternative to Nikon D40?

Literally all I need is a camera that is able to take continuous shots without it taking forever to do, (like some digital cameras) and I've been looking at the Nikon D40 which possesses all the qualities I need but is a bit out of my price range… Any suggestions for cheaper alternatives?

The D40 itself is a 5 year old camera. It will pretty much be the cheapest DSLR you can find used on the market today, You can also look at older Canon Rebel Xti's and whatever came before that

Price of just $599

With the age of the D40 if it's out of your price range than pretty much every decent camera is out of your price range. You should be able to pick up a D40 used for anywhere from $200 to $300 max.

If the D40 is out of budget then there really isn't much else. Maybe the D1/D1H would be in your budget, but not much else really.

You may find you'll get a decent film camera which can give you continuous drive without costing a fortune. The Canon EOS 600/650 isn't the greatest camera in the world, but it can shoot at 5FPS and keep going until your 36 frames are up. If you want a step up, the EOS 5 is a good camera to look at. You should be able to pick one up for around £20-70.