Or as I stated eons ago on this thread an old steel framed road bike from a private seller/craiglist etc. I was summarily flamed as an elitist jerk who just wanted to see the OP fail. I should also add in old steel framed mountain bikes as well as I recently picked up a 1996 Trek 950 Single Track for $25. It needed air in the tires and cleaning. I also predidicted eons ago on this thread that the bike would hold up fine and that the maitinence Cig provided would be a big factor.

I still stand by my original statement and it is more about the effort of searching for and learning about older bikes, that puts most people off of looking for a nice, used bike. Cuturally speaking "used" is for people who can't "afford new". It is easier to go to a department store and buy a bike like the one in question. Better is a relative term dependant on the user; for me older bikes are better and a greater value for the $$ spent.

Plus how much fun do you have at Wal-Mart selecting a bike from the rafters? I like looking for bikes in unlikely places, the "thrill of the chase" and all that. YMMV