Cheap new bikes will wear out and fall apart quickly. New bikes in general have more complication, and therefore require more adjusting. New bikes made of aluminium or carbon fibre have limited life spans compared to steel bikes.

I have a high end 1980's tourer which I bought for $40. It doesn't brake quite as well as a new bike, the shifters are on the downtube rather than the brake levers, and the shifting is not indexed. Those things aside, it's as good as the sort of tourer you would pay $1200 for now. Make your own decision, but I'd advise seriously considering the vintage route.