Welcome!!!
Don't give up, you've already convinced yourself what a good drive the Zed is, please don't sacrifice this for a "shiny" German that you will not enjoy as much. Zeds are rare, you said a s much yourself, therefore it follows that it may take a bit longer to find a good one but you will fins one. I found my 54 Azure GT in July, 32k FSH and I love it. So much of what Neil says is true, the way I feel at the moment I'll only sell it to move up to a 370
Others have talked about a good detailling, take a look at Envy Valetings' efforts on here, outstanding. On top of that a bonnet respray shouldn't cost you a lot more than £250.00 and there are guys on here who will point you in the right direction dependant upon where you live. And as you you've already gathered, this lot are probably the most decent helpful bunch I've ever met on ANY forum and it all adds to the enjoyment.
That's my twopenny worth, hope it helps