For the RCI 2950, get the service manual, and do the tune up with decent measuring equipment.
Some golden screwdriver must have wandered in there.... that were most of my repairs setting back everything they screwed up by "tuning up" the radio's....

If it transmits and recieves 98% of the time it has been someone with a screwdriver tuning all pot's and ferrite cores he could find to get some more power out of it.
Including setting the P.A. bias to 0 volts..... now that's good for linearity ( NOT)

There's nothing wrong in getting an older radio, i have 2 FT 847's Collins/Inrad filters and a FT100 with AM 6 KHz filter added.
I had the TS 430 line, and that one worked very fine too thank you.
A TS 430 or FT 757GX2 transceiver here goes for 300 - 500 Euro's depending on the extra's and filters in it.
Think looking at your side of the pond that prices for radio's are even cheaper. ( 2nd hand).

Get an TS 430 or similar radio, you can start making qso's and save up for a better radio later, getting on air is more important.