Originally Posted by Casrider

yes (to all of your questions)

Cannondale make good, and very popular, bikes
the best bike to start you out riding road style is the bike that fits you best and you are comfortable on
Google "bike fit" and you should be able to find lots of information on how a bike is supposed to fit
you can also easily take your own measurements and then find out what size of the frame is to see if you're in the ballpark for your body size
parts can be swapped out if need be

nothing wrong with a bike from 1996 but check that there is no damage to the frame
if you don't know what to look for see if anybody you know does and take them along with you when you check the bike out