Skippy B. Coyote

@ Carlsson: I ruled out the C64 simply because the hardware seems to be in shorter supply, more expensive​, and harder to find replacement parts for than Atari or TI computers. The modern day enthusiast scene for the C64 doesn't seem nearly as big or newbie friendly as the communities for Atari and TI computers as well, all of which is odd since the C64 was the best selling computer of it's time.

I also appreciate cartridge based software for it's lower price and greater reliability than disc or tape software, which the TI is focused on almost exclusively and the Atari still has no shortage of. For whatever computer I get I plan to get a SD card solution (A FlashROM 99 for the TI or SIO2SD for the Atari) but it's still nice to know that I can find and build a collection of affordable software on original cartridges in the event my flash device ever fails and can't be repla...

...replaced X number of years down the road. I think it's good to not keep all your eggs in one basket so to speak.