I'm looking to replace an old Fuji Gran Tourer (late 70s-early 80s) that I fell in love with but whose repair and tuning costs exceeds its value at this point. A quick glance at CL in my area shows a lot of inexpensive options for road bikes of this style whose prices would be about less than the cost of replacing the - most notably a bent rear wheel rim that I believe to be the culprit in a bumpy ride.

In the course of about 5 years of beating the hell out of it (not bad for $5 garage sale) my old Fuji taught me how to configure a derailleur, what fixing a wobbly hub entails, how to true a wheel, and many other small maintenance quirks that make me feel more comfortable than I would have been without it. And upon research I've found the optimal sized frame.

Yet it's a daunting task. What would you impart to a relative newbie looking to buy a used bike from this era? And are there any extensive reading guides anyone could recommend?