As Trekker just said, "Bide your time..." With a road bike, it's very important that you ride before you buy. Fit and handling can only be tweaked a little bit (compared to other styles), so you'd better be sure.

Road bikes tend to be more expensive than MTB's or hybrids (mostly because of lightweight and/or sophisticated components - i.e. brifters), so you're essentially paying for speed that you might not really use. Also the ride on a "roadie" is more harsh and nervous than on a longer-wheelbased bike.

I have a full-Ultegra, 853-steel road bike that I love. I've done centuries on it, and commuted with it too. Still, my everyday bike is a cyclocrosser. The fatter tires make a huge difference in comfort and it handles with a bit more stability. It will accept a rack and fenders when I need them. It's about 90% as fast as my RB...

Just a suggestion: Think about a cyclocross bike as you search for your new ride.