Originally Posted by
tjspiel
In this market, if somebody has at least $200 to spend, they're starting to get into the realm of reasonably modern quality road bikes that are ready to ride.
To follow this idea a bit further (or on a tangent
), you can get an older bike with a nice frame and so-so components for cheap, plan to replace components as needed/desired, and end up with a really nice bike overall. All the while you have a bike to ride that will be getting better and better.