No cringing here. My first impression is that the bikes all look remarkably similar, i.e., they may all have the same basic components. If it's not your main form of transportation, then you can probably live without fenders for now.

With any bike, but probably more so with an inexpensive bike, it's a good idea to educate yourself on maintenance, especially so you can be sure that the drive train and brakes are set up properly and don't deteriorate over time. I sometimes wonder if cheaper bikes are less reliable mainly because they are cheaply maintained.

Is a second hand bike a possibility?