I went to a new bike shop this evening and tried two women-specific road bikes. Big difference in mounting/dismounting--on the ones designed for women, it was much easier than on this one. I was finally the right distance from the ground, while still being the right distance from the pedals! And that's something that I don't thing there's any way to fix on the bike in question. So this evening I returned the Raleigh.

I'm back to my original plan of waiting a few months, saving up some more money, and buying a new (i.e. not used) road bike then. I'm far from bikeless til then, just no road bike. And I'll keep browsing used bikes in the mean time and see if any others jump out at me. I'm still not sure whether I like aluminum or steel better, but I'm almost certain I want a women-specific design.

Thanks again for everyone who commented and helped me with this! It really made a difference.