Goretex is fine, but you have to really look after it to maintain it's proofing, and it's not thornproof. Waxed cotton is a lot tougher, proofing is really only needed once a year and is really easy, you just need a tin of proofer, a nice warm sunny day, and space to spread the coat out. Looked after, a quality coat could last forty to fifty years, with regular proofing, and even rips and tears can be repaired; try doing that with Goretex.
Last July I bought a Barbour Stockman in a sale for half price. When the weather got wet in November I started walking to work wearing it and I wore it pretty much every day until April. Best value coat I've ever owned, it'll be re-proofed soon, and I can see it lasting for the rest of my life. Not an exaggeration, as I've got a twenty-odd year old North Face fleece that's still wearable, and I'm fifty five. Drizabone are as good as Barbour and quite a bit cheaper, so look at them. One reason I like the Stockman is that in really heavy rain my legs stay dry, water doesn't run down straight onto my thighs soaking my jeans. With a hood up or a hat on a brolly is unnessessary.