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Well, from what I see on ebay for GR1225 UHF repeaters, there are several at or below the $399 price tag for the Retevis RT97. On a good (I.e. lucky) day you could even get an MTR2000 under $400. BTW, should you decide to go for the GR1225, make sure you get a guarantee that the final PA is good. These radios have a nasty habit of either blowing or desoldering the final if run at too high a duty cycle, or too high power output. You should also ask to have the duplexer tuned for you. However, if you run a GR1225 at 50% duty cycle and 1/2 power, it will give you excellent service and is small enough to be portable.

I might add that GMRS has tolerances as far as frequency that are far lower then most HAM gear. With GMRS being smack in the middle of the part 90 portion of the band it is important to maintain some type of standard as to not cause interference to the adjacent service. Requiring a type accepted and certified transmitter is the best way to do this.