Well.. I've just gone through a lot of the research you're looking for...
I am 6'4". I Have an 73 88" SIII. It is more roomy than my cj-5, I am not all that thin but I'm not fat and i'm not "into" the steering wheel, like the guy that bought my CJ was.
Lifting the foot off the clutch without hitting you leg on something is easy to get used to. I was plenty comfortable (operating the car) after about 30 min of stop and go driving. Its not luxury, but its doable. If you were planning to commute in it, it might get old. For tinkering or collecting.. having fun on the weekends.. it'll do. its not cramped width wise, compared to an old jeep.
Although the early series were shorter, I believe it is all in the front to accommodate the engine and in the bed.
I would venture a guess that the III is the easiest to find. 440k of them made, and most recent series model. But most of the parts are II and IIA so it works out great, as long as you don't mind the plastic dash and shiftable transmission.
Everyone warned me about spring perch rust and rear cross member rust. But you know about rust in british vehicles...
As with all old vehicles.. as you likely know.. hardened valve seats are nice. Almost all the parts are available (mirror mounts are the only NLA i found for the SIII)
I cant speak as to what's expensive or not. It all seems fairly cheap from what I've priced out. Very similar to shopping for a VW bug in my limited experience. Has its "normal" classic car stuff price on some rare things, but most is cheap as hell by today's standards.
The prices.. I paid $4500 for mine..not knowing that the throw out bearing was jammed in the fork (remember to put in the clutch to bearing clip) good frame.. bad paint, complete but not perfect. "everything works" condition. Its likely the only running Series on the island of Oahu and wasn't getting a premium price. I have the ad that the PO printed when he bought it, he only paid 5k for it with new paint in california. I saw on classic car trader that people had widely varying ideas of what they were worth. You probably saw the SIII that was overheating or something horrible for $12k. I would guess.. its a sellers market in the US due to rarity. That being said. The frames are only 1800 bucks.. if you find a rotted one.. might be cheap and worth it.
Others can speak to reliability and upkeep. I've only had mine a couple weeks and only plan on using it to keep me busy and putt around on weekends.
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