Well, you did say that you have minimal rust, and I bet if you ask anyone in here, they will tell you that rust is the sole critical factor. All else can be easily replaced, but if your body is rusting away, you are in for trouble. A 700 or 900 ir going to be virtually rust free and a nice ride, but they will never match the joy of driving a vintage amazon.

I know the frustration you are feeling. I dumped a 1973 1800Es with a cherry interior, uncracked dash and professionally reupholstered seats for $1000.00 to that jerk-off Ammu_manu because of the same sentiment you have. I could have fixed it, but the cost was so high and my frustration so bad that I just wanted it gone. Now that I have my 130, I wish I had never gotten rid of it, the engine, brakes, transmission, rear end - all would have fit my 130 and made it a very nice ride. Instead I got the $1k I paid for it back, and the frustration of seeing all the nice 1971 1800E spare parts that I painstakingly saved and *gave* to the buyer at no extra cost - being sold on eBay, then eventually seeing the car itself being stripped and sold on eBay too. I was prepared to learn to weld to fix that car, but I gave up and got screwed in the process.

So... if you feel a connection with that car, consider what the next guy will being doing to it and how they will treat it. Both of my Amazons came from the original owners and I feel a sense of responsibility to take care of them as the original owners took care of them for nearly 40 years.

Things that are well-built, used well, and taken care of deserve a long life.
Don't break the chain if you don't have to.