Originally Posted by
TenSpeedV2
I just look at it as one less thing to break or needing to fiddle with. Some low end derailleurs are really finicky and I know for me, if it isn't just right, it becomes a huge annoyance. No one likes gears that constantly skip. If gears are a necessity, then by all means go with gears. A flat commute though, and not trying to set land speed records, hard to beat a single gear.
A low end derailleur that is properly maintained will never miss a shift (unless under severe load), and a high end derailleur that is poorly maintained will behave finicky. I love the minimalist look of a SS/FG, but all the hype about ease of maintenance is nothing more than hype. It really doesn't take any substantial effort to maintain a geared bike, unless you constantly fall over and bang up your mechs/shifters. Once you index your gears the only real subsequent maintenance is limit screw adjustments as the gear cables begin to stretch. Fixed gears are great if you own other bikes, but at the moment the OP is looking for a single bike to replace a car and s/he also mentioned an interest in possibly doing touring; taking all that into consideration, its very hard to recommend a fixed/single speed bike.