Hey all, I'm going to be swinging by a few swap meets and used bicycle sales to look for a commuting bike. I've settled on either a hybrid or a hardtail mountain bike. I don't really know too much about mountain bike brands/product lines, especially the ones from the 80s which I've heard were especially good for converting to hybrid commuters. My target price is around $150, which limits my selection a bit. Here's my list of brands to look out for, let me know if you have any experience with these or know of any others I should look for:

Bianchi - Nyala?
Fuji
Nishikishi - Ariel
GT
Giant
Raleigh
Trek
Specialized