Jeez you're not shy of getting your hands dirty! It was an amusing read, but obviously not funny at the time, I sympathise with you though, it was a tricky situation you were in and a valueable lesson you've learned I think

I think you have pretty high standards, the quality and attention to detail for a 'daily' seems to be a lot, but then again if projects are your passion then why not do it properly and enjoy it in the process, even though it was unplanned. The rcar does look ok overall I think, most of the marks (bar the side indicator) will buff out no problem, and the rest seems ok. So apart from a good clean and the mounts and clamps I hope it's relatively reliable.

I have been thinking of getting one of these as a daily for a while so it's great to see this thread and all the detail, and when you do come to part with it, then it will be a brilliant buy for somebody else. Good luck and I'll look forward to reading the updates!