I'm with Carbonfiberboy in that your first priority is to be in balance and not have to hold yourself up with your arms.

In re-reading your post I get the impression that it is not really a crankarm/saddle issue but in reality a steering tube issue. The biggest issue with an off-the-rack bike is that you are stuck with a cut steering tube and then left trying to cope with some severe stem angle. Have you thought of getting a new fork for your current bike, at least to play around with, and then making the reach/height adjustments with spacers and stems? You can run spacers on top of the stem until you get the best fit for you neck/spine.

My advice is to get your current bike as comfortable as you can before you spend bucks on your retirement bike. That way you can just transfer your fit to your new bike instead of starting from scratch. And I agree that it is a lot easier to fit from a slightly small frame than one that is a little too big.

John