Flats are easily remedied with tire liners, Mr. Tuffy or Slime. Or you could buy flat resistant tires like Specialized Armadillos or Schwalbe Marathons or Conti Top Tourer 2000s, plus you'll get thousands of miles out of them, vs. hundreds for many other tires. Most people never get flats with these. I use Mr Tuffy and haven't had a flat all summer.

I have an '03 Jamis Quest that I really like. It's a wonderful riding bike. Plush.