I ride my 73 yellow Continental daily. It is stock except for the no-brand alum. rims. I have $100 into it inculding the price, new rims, new tires and tubes. Fun to ride, very solid on the road. A new Schwinn Continental in 1973 ran around $125. Today a good road bike is in the 700 to $1000 range and up.
I paid $20 for my Continental from a second hand shop and $8 for a blue 1980 Traveler still rides with it's steel rims.