Boat buying blues (Rant)

[shortnsalty41]

This is more of a rant than anything else, however, I remain hopeful that maybe something in the form of advice can deliver me some guidance.
I have the "Boat Buying Blues". As I saved and worked, worked and saved and finally came to the point four long years after the sale of our first "learning sailboat" that we are ready to buy our first cruiser I am really discouraged.
For some of us, the types that come to these forums to seek knowledge we have not yet gained in the sailing world, a lot of things remain a mystery. The sailing world is full of so many varying opinions and styles that as an inexperienced sailor we are for lack of better words "lost at sea".
"You need a full keel", "You need a fin keel", "These pocket cruisers will take you around the world", "You can't do any kind of bluewater in a boat that size" etc. etc...yada yada. In a way, it's all contradictory because we see it with our own two eyes thanks to the wonderful world of Youtube and it's never-ending list of sailing channels.
Now I know we all have to make up our own minds but it is hard when you try to research to understand and learn what you can before making a very expensive mistake and find a ton of varying opinion rarely supported by fact.
I think back years ago to one of my favorites, "You need a fin keel in order to outrun storms".
From when I first decided that sailing was the way I would do my boating I have learned a great deal from reading, forum members, video and finally hands-on sailing, boat repairs running aground, dragging an anchor etc. however I am only still a greenhorn. Maybe just a shiny one nowadays.
Now ready to cast off into the next phase of sailing for me I find myself caught in a nasty channel, during a storm, with shifting tides and sharks all around. Yes, sharks or in other words "boat brokers". I am sure there are many out there that are as good and trustworthy as coast guard rescue swimmers but the ones I have encountered are as slippery as eels.
Like the one I made an appointment with to see a Tartan 37 and when we arrived were told: "that boat is in the other marina across the street and before we go there let me show you this..." Boat that costs 30,000 dollars more than the one you called about, is falling apart, is completely the opposite of what you're looking for and in reality isn't worth half the price of the Tartan as you can see here from the loose stanchions, sun-rotted blocks, ancient rigging, blah , blah , blah. That was just one broker.
I did say this was a rant. But I am trying to make it kind of entertaining to read although probably failing as much as I am to find a boat.
So here I am "shanghaied" in my search for: A boat I can live on with my better half for at least the 6 months a year we will be sailing her, for cruising Florida (keys and west coast) and of course the Bahamas. So yes I can pretty much get away with a lot of different boats with the right preparations and safety gear while keeping a careful eye on the weather but I am not looking to spend a fortune when I know three to four years down the road we will be looking to go further and need something better yet again for the years we might spend sailing to the Carribean or aiming towards the Pacific.
We have looked at a Cape Dory 28 (love it but the V-birth would cancel out a lot of "sleep habits" shall we call them and from what I read are slow and maybe not great in light wind), Pearson 30 Wanderer (loved it until we saw someone is trying to hide a lot with paint, got the boat for 2000, oops that slipped out, and is trying to sell the boat for 18,000), a sweet Southern Cross 28 (so salty and so so small inside and out), Pearson Triton loaded (also very small).....let me chime in also small is OK if it can also be Fast however we can do without speed if we get a certain level of comfort instead...Can we have our cake and eat it too? We saw so many others, Tartan 27(strong contender), Catalina 27 (just for the fun of it... and talk about small V-birth), should I mention the boats I was ready to throw my money into that have been listed for God only knows how long and now that I call to go see them have mysteriously in the same day "gone under contract" and "just got closed on but I have this boat that you showed no interest in and costs 30,000 more than the boat you are asking about".
In the last few puffs of my hot air that come steaming out of my hot head, I know there are a lot of good boats still out there. One thing that is making the search so hard is for a while longer we are continuing to work so I can not go chasing boats in other states and I sure as hell can not trust a "boat broker" to lure me to another state to see this "solid boat" with "nothing wrong with it" that is "turn key" with an engine that has only "9857 hours" on it.
If anyone made it this far I admire you for your will and patience and leave the following challenge to you : A cruiser/racer sailboat that is 30k or even better 8k, roomy enough for "sleep habits" in the V-birth, would prefer fast although could live with slow if it were like an Allied Seawind 32 ketch, is ALMOST turnkey and upgrades can come as they are afforded not needed, so not really looking for a project unless its 50 bucks needing only 5k and 6 months and of course no drafts over 6 feet and 6 feet would be pushing it as the Bahamas can become our permanent cruising grounds so 4.5 or less would be ideal.
P.S. I am sorry.