Recreational & Family - Help me Purchase Gift Bike? (For a girl)

Hello everyone! I'm purchasing a cruiser bike for my girlfriend's birthday this weekend and I was hoping to gather some last minute advice from people far more knowledgeable than I am on the subject. (I apologize in advance if this is posted in the wrong section, it seemed to be the most relevant from the many I saw listed on the index.)

So far I have narrowed my selection to three bikes based on what I know of her personal preferences.

The bike has to be:

1. Schwinn Brand
2. Cruiser Style
3. Green, Yellow or Purple...

Unfortunately, other than that, I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to making an actual selection. I had originally seen a cute and reasonably priced Schwinn Lakeshore bike in purple:

http://www.schwinnbikes.com/bikes/cruisers/lakeshore-10342

The independent bike salesman I spoke to on the phone however noted that this was one of Schwinn's "department" models, a lesser-quality bike than they had in stock.

So I jumped up a couple of hundred in my price range and ended up with a few more options:

The Starlet: http://bayareaschwinn.com/product/schwinn-starlet-62503-1.htm

and an older model of the Debutante: http://bayareaschwinn.com/product/09-schwinn-womens-debutante-51349-1.htm

I suppose the questions I have are... is the jump in price really worth it? What makes a department-level bike different than the more expensive models sold by independent dealers? Also, she is 5'3 give or take an inch, will a 26 inch bike be a good fit for her?

Finally, I'm open to any opinion (technical or otherwise) on the bikes I have listed, or any other suggestions you may have. Anyone with experience with Schwinn women bikes would be an added bonus!

Thank you very much in advance for any help! :)

May i ask why schwinn?

May i ask why schwinn?

Not entirely sure to be honest. Her last bike (another schwinn cruiser) was stolen not too long ago in the park hence the idea for the gift in the first place. She always had an affinity toward Schwinn bikes so I'm just following her lead.

Edit: It occurred to me I probably should have left this a bit more open-ended. I've noticed a lot of people on this forum have purchased Trek brand bikes, and I did see a few models I'm sure she would like. Is there a significant difference between Trek and Schwinn brand (or any other brand you might recommend) bikes? Thanks again!

After Schwinn went bankrupt and got bought out the new owners positioned it as a department store bike. To meet the store price points there were sacrifices made to the quality, so the quality of the department store Schwinns is erratic, tending towards the low side. They're fine for somebody who goes out once a week for a two or three mile ride, but don't seem to work well for most people who ride ride a lot of miles.

After Schwinn went bankrupt and got bought out the new owners positioned it as a department store bike. To meet the store price points there were sacrifices made to the quality, so the quality of the department store Schwinns is erratic, tending towards the low side. They're fine for somebody who goes out once a week for a two or three mile ride, but don't seem to work well for most people who ride ride a lot of miles.

Are the more expensive Schwinn bikes sold in local bike shops worth it then? Or do they also suffer from the bankruptcy?