Hey All - I put this post up and sort of forgot about it so apologies for the delayed response. Also, thanks for all the comments and feedback.

So in the end I went with a 98 GT Outpost Trail that has a chromoly fork and main triangle (hi-ten stays) and am reasonably pleased with the ride quality.

This one isn't mine but it's exactly the same

Darth Lefty was spot on in calling out Rivendell as this whole project was an attempt to imitate the Clem Smith Jr (Low) on the cheap. Clearly, my bike is not a Clem but it was $75 from CL, with and additional $25 in upgrades, so quite a big difference in price (Clems are about $2000 complete).

To answer Leebo's question, "yes" I ride it off-road on moderately technical trails. Rivendell has a great piece on the benefits of step through frames for off road use and I wholeheartedly agree with their reasoning. When combining my short stature (stand-over has always been an issue), aging body (swinging leg over top tube is not as easy as it used to be) and relatively tame riding style, step through for off-road use makes total sense for me.