That is a nice looking bike...

Used wheels are a good deal if you know what you are looking for and know how to service them if they are less than 100%... and most are.

If you are commuting it makes sense to get a decent set of wheels and upgrading to a 700c wheelset with double walled rims and a cassette hub gives you a stronger hub, more tyre options, and the modern 130mm rear hub should fit in the steel Lotus frame with a little gentle persuasion as it is 126mm.

Conversely...

The stock Suzue / Ukai wheels are / were pretty decent in their day and the rims were very strong... yours appear to be in fairly good shape and I have a near identical set up on my old hybrid which just has Shimano hubs and a 7 speed cassette.