All four of my bikes are road bikes. I commute on all of them. Two have full fenders and rear racks mounted year 'round. One of those is an entry-level Trek. A third bike gets Cruds in the winter. I agree with you, Cruds are not at their best in the commuting environment.

You don't need separate mounts for fenders and racks. My low-end Trek has one eyelet in each rear dropout. The rack and fender both mount there. The fenders are a tight fit through the brakes (I use SKS P35s over 25mm tires.) I had to modify the way the rear one mounts through the brake--I couldn't get it tight enough to the brake with the factory clip--but it works, and works well.

What may have thrown your salesperson was when you said you may want to take it on tour on it one day and use a front rack. This is where you'll need the different geometry of a touring bike.

A front rack requires slightly different front geometry on account of the load and how it affects handling. The heavier loads common in the rear common in touring also require different geometry. My entry-level Trek does not like heavy loads in the rear. It gets skittish with more than 20 or 25 pounds back there.

My other full-fendered and rear racked bike has slightly longer chainstays--about halfway to the length of those on a touring bike--which stabilizes things nicely. That bike is perfectly content with 60 pounds or more on the back. It is not touring geometry in the front, so I wouldn't mount a front rack on it.

To summarize: If you want one bike to tour and commute on, save up some more money and get a touring bike. "Pure" road bikes don't handle well with the extra load. If you'll stick to commuting and only carry loads in the rear of 25 pounds or less, then a "pure" road bike (like the entry-level Trek) will work just fine. But be certain the fenders will fit through your brakes.