As I say, the only bike shop around here carries new only. They cater to the wealthier set. Tyler has become a retirement community for DFW, so they have "comfort bikes" starting at $400 and "road bikes" starting at $1,000. They have brisk sales with retirees and they don't sell "junk bikes", only the top brand names....
As far as sports shops, there aren't any around here that I can find. It's a really strange town. Upscale shops for the wealthy and wal-mart, target for the poor.... Not much variety here....
I think the Target Prelude is the same as the wal-mart varsity. Since I have been talking to my wife more about all this, after a lot of research and ideas from people like you, she feels that she probably will forget the whole thing. She is used to buying new and buying good quality and we cannot afford that any more, so she has just about decided to forget it.
Truth be told, she can't ride anyhow, since the stroke and I think she knows that, but doesn't want to admit it. I know how that is, but the outrageous prices for a good bike really made her think twice.........
Thanks for all the help. I have learned a lot about pricing bikes here. I apperciate all the input......