For commuting in Vancouver an old mountain bike would work (that's what I generally use to get to/from work and groceries), just replace the tires with slicker ones (panaracer paselas always nice). They are slightly heavier than a comparable road bike, but are upright so might be more comfortable.
How tall are you if I may ask? I know you were looking at the Maruishi and that one appeared to be about 21". Is that the right size for you?
The only thing I find prestigious about the apollo prestiges I've seen on line are the name. Well, the prestige XL looks slightly better.
There is a Nishiki Intenational on fb in New West asking 380, it's about 54cm. I can't tell the condition from the pictures though, so it might be a bit rough. It's still a bit more than I'd like to pay. And with warmer weather coming up I'm sure there will be some more choices coming up on cl as well.
Comparatively the prestige and the maruishi are slightly different animals. One has touring geometry (will take wider tires, cantilever brakes, fenders), the other I don't think is the same. If you plan to use it year round, you may find yourself wanting fenders. A lot of 80's road bikes will have trouble fitting those. Touring bikes probably will take fenders (so will mountain bikes).