I have two bikes. One is a Target Schwinn mountain bike. One is a Diamondback hybrid. Elitests on the board will certainly tell you the former is crap and the latter only slightly crap.

I bought the Schwinn before I started "getting into" biking.

However, I have had ZERO problems with my Schwinn Ranger and that has been over 5 years or so now. Not even a flat, of all things. It is a tank of a bike, literally.

My Diamondback Edgewood has many many more miles on it, and is much more finicky. I commute four days a week on it, and rode a 200 mile, three day tour in the fall.

I think it really depends on how much you plan on riding. For short hops and casual use, or until you figure out what kind of riding you want to do, there is nothing wrong with getting what you can afford.

Good luck.