One thing I do remember is that I bought a brand new Schwinn High Sierra in 1988 in black chrome from that same dealer, they closed up soon after. I had priced various brands around that time, the company I worked for gave us each $650 to spend on a new bike because the owner was big into doing charity event rides and anyone who wanted to be part of it got a new bike that year. We had to go to one of 4 dealers in the area, so our choices were limited to Schwinn, Cannondale, Motobecane, Peugeot, Raleigh, Nishiki, Ross, or Giant.
We had to go to one of the dealers he had on his list, then pick out a bike and get fitted for it, then bring the invoice back to the office and they called and paid for the bike, and we got to pick it up the next day.
(There was no buying a lesser bike and pocketing the difference). We were allowed to buy a better bike but anything over $650 was on us.
I went with the Schwinn High Sierra because it fit me best and it was a good deal lighter than the similarly priced Raleigh Elkhorn with steel wheels. The Cannondale was aluminum and double the cost. the Schwinn was $629.78 out the door complete with a blackburn rack, twin water bottles, and a second set of Panaracer tires because I didn't care for the original tires.
I don't remember them having anything called Hunter on the floor then. But I do remember looking at various Nishiki bikes, which were a lot cheaper but the dealer selling those couldn't find one in my size other than the bottom of the line Pueblo. The 1988/89, (not sure which it was), Pueblo had the same cranks and derailleurs as this Hunter. A buddy of mine bought one around that time for his wife, after he bought a Panasonic ATB from the same dealer I bought the Schwinn from. The Panasonic was more money and he had to pay the difference.
I actually liked the Panasonic better due to the geometry of the frame but I didn't want to fork over the extra $90 or so it would have taken.

I no longer have the High Sierra, it was an OK bike but I never really was happy with it, then the black chrome started to peel and I sold it.
I later bought my buddies Panasonic ATB, which I still have and will likely die with.
But honestly, I think this cheap Hunter rides better, at least on the road. Its lighter than my Panasonic, and likely lighter than the High Sierra I had due to the smaller frame. The tiny frame on the Hunter makes for a very easy to maneuver bike compared to the large frame ATB which feels like a tank under me. A lot of it is perception due to overall length vs. actual weight.
The high pressure street tires on the Hunter help a lot too as the ATB still has old school original Panaracer Knobbies on it.

The fact that the Hunter is low end doesn't bother me, some of my favorite bikes are low end models. So long as its clean and well maintained, the difference of a few pounds really don't matter much to a guy over 6ft2 and 350lbs. At my age I just don't ride like I used to and I suppose the day will come when my knees put an end to my riding altogether.