Engine dilemma

[alga]

So, tomorrow I'm getting my donor -- a white 1987 Sierra with a Pinto 2.0, carb for an equivalent of 105 pounds. The owner has lost hope to sell it whole and has already sold the front bumper, lights and rad. I did not see it run, as the coolant is drained and it's out of fuel (leaky tank), but the owner assures me that the engine is a sweetheart, not a single oil top up necessary between changes.

My plan was to go for Zetec, so CVH would have been a better interim option, but somehow they're hard to come by, with lots of twinks and some Pintos on the market.

So, the dilemma: a complete, running, although outdated, relatively heavy and weak Pinto vs. trying to assemble a Zetec system with unsolved fuel pump, intake manifold, ECU, starter, flywheel, clutch, alternator questions. Or should I try to find a complete CVH engine and get it running on the cheap with plans to upgrade to Zetec later on? What would you do?