I wouldn't. The OP dodged a bullet - it's pretty junky. Cottered cranks, ugh. Undoubtedly rides like an anvil.

I respectfully disagree. How the bike looks (and it looks like a cheap hybrid) is pretty unimportant. Thieves will steal just about anything. Lock it up properly and it'll be as safe as anything else.

As for used, that's what I did in college and fixed myself up an old touring bike. Depending on the kind of bike you want, that may be the only real option - hard to get a road or touring bike in this price range. But overall, in spite of my own history, the recommendation to buy used has to come with caveats. You don't always know what you're going to get, and the price can spiral a bit if you try to fix it up, modify or add new parts. So if what you want is a flat bar hybrid and you can get one in your price range, new is pretty foolproof. Though the need to assemble a mail-ordered bike does bring additional complications. I'm not sure I would recommend assembly to the inexperienced, either!