I've worn various boots over the last 12 years and they have all been light hiking boots. The best boots I could find are the one piece solid leather Vasque Sundowner (now Classic and GTX I think). They have been my every day boot for 10 years and although I am on my third pair, I can't beat them. I normally am very tough on my boots and they get a lot of concrete jungle wear, and farm wear. A normal hiking boot lasts me around 6 months (the stitching goes) but the Sundowners last me around 2-4 years. It depends on how much water I expose them to. I never resole them because the leather is distroyed after that time. People who look after the leather better would get a much longer life out of the boot. I have heard of people going through several resoles.

Vasque use a knit and very strong liner in their boots which takes much work to make a hole in, that is more than can be said for most hiking boots.

When I choose a hiking boot I look for several things.
1. replaceable sole
2. solid upper (no little pieces sewn together which can fail)
3. Double or tripple stitching on all seams
4. No liner (leather inside) or a fabric liner (not the stuff you find in running shoes. What most shoe companies call fabric, has no visible threads to it and wears through very quickly.

This is seperate to the normal things of support, fit and look.

When it comes to goretex liners versus no liners at all, my experience is that goretex is great for keeping moisture out but also great for keeping moisture in.

I have never found goretex or it's equivalents to be breathable. Over a long hike you will get damp feet regardless of what the liner is, that is why you should carry spare socks. It is nice to have a waterproof boot but under humid or damp conditions your feet will get damp anyway.