Yes, you're right, the packaging was actually decent. There were no scratches on the bike.
The bike's current tires are 45-65psi, so I'm sure a good set of higher pressure tires would do wonders. I noticed that these tires look out of round. Is that even possible? We'll see.
Have not had it for a ride yet. This evening I took the wheels off and packed the bearings with good grease and made sure the cones were adjusted properly. Then moved on to the headset, this thing was so tight the steering felt "notchy". I packed the headset bearings and properly adjusted the headset, problem solved.
The v-brake pads look like they are possibly heat damaged (or possibly just crap). The pad material looks like it is supposed to be black, but they're light grey. So I will replace those tomorrow, properly adjust the brakes, air the tires up, and take it for a spin.