Deanimator,
I have been exceedingly pleased with my Colt Commander 1991 - identical to the one rklessdriver pictured above. Totally reliable, very accurate, superb trigger out of the box. I bought mine used with maybe 50 rounds on it (it appeared) and it was $600 even.
Everything on it is completely suitable for carry as is - rowel hammer, effective and quick tall three dot sights, lowered ejection port, upswept rat-tail grip safety for concealment as well as functionality. Since 2000 Colt has been using a proprietary "grooved" barrel throat that has improved feeding with various ammo types. It is a great "basic" carry gun out of the box.
If it matters to you, Colt uses fewer MIM parts than any major manufacturer.