I'm way to lazy to sit here and read all these posts, so I'll just respond to what I got from reading the couple of posts.
Buy a HX, 96-00, 97-98 seems to be the most popular year that doesn't get molested, no idea why. I bought mine for 2k, and have only put about 300$ into it and it's in good running condition now. I was terrified to change the dizzy o'ring and vtech solenoid gasket myself but, I did it and I'm really happy I did. If you can find one in perfect condition for around 3.5k it would be worth it. Even in bad condition (as long as it doesn't have a blown head gasket or something) you can just youtube the basic repairs and do most, if not all of them yourself.
[Edit]: Something like this would be perfect for you:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/4543504900.html