Longtime mtn. biker, newbie to cross. I'm looking at an 04' Kona, Jake the Snake as my first bike. The only knock i've been reading here in the forum is that the steel fork is the only weakpoint on an otherwise solid platform.

The shop is willing to swap/deal parts at purchase. I don't need a fork that is more expensive than the entire rest of the bike. Do I really need a carbon Fork or stick w/ steel? If Carbon, Suggestions?

While were at it - Any reason I should avoid the Snake and look in another direction?

What carbon fork were you looking at? General forum consensus (go look through the old forum for more complete info) has the benefits of a carbon fork being mainly for weight saving. Ride quality differences are disputed. And the weight saving only comes with the higher end forks. I don't think you need a carbon fork for your first bike. And some people claim that carbon forks need to be replaced every season, or every other season (again, disputed)
There should be a lot of info on this board about Jakes. I'm not sure about 04 specs, but when I was considering a Jake it was the best deal for the money by far. If you really want the lowdown on Jakes, check out The Walrus (see Let's See Your Crossers post).