I never met a Gitane I didn't like, but I probably wouldn't buy a new one even if they still sold them in the U.S.

I would love to have a Rene Herse racer.

If I was forced to get a new bike, it would probably be a Richard Sachs: www.richardsachs.com

But I would never commute on it--too nice.

I like some of the ANT bikes http://www.antbikemike.com/ and I like what they're doing.