One other thing, with regards to buying an inexpensive bike, if it's what you can afford, then by all means get the best bang for your buck. However, if it's just because you don't want to spend much on a first bike, well that may or may not be the best decision. A good bike should have a decent value years down the road. A name like Specialized, Giant, Trek, Cannondale, etc, command better pricing when looking to resell or trade up. Just my thoughts there.
True enough. Of course, most of us keep our old bikes when we upgrade. That's how we end up with n+1 bikes in our garages!
(And I love all my bikes, including the ones with "special needs")