As far as looks go...I liked the vega. But you are right in that they were rust prone. There are damned few to be seen even here in Arizona.
I saw a Vega once in a pick-a-part junkyard in Tucson (back in 1997). I guess you gotta know where to look. My husband said they were cool if you installed a real Chevy smallblock and gearbox in them.
I am not a gearhead at all....but I know what I like and that is VW’s specifically. I had one when I lived in Juneau Alaska from 2000-2004. Now here is the unusual part of the story. I am a paraplegic. The VW was a 69 with autostick I bought from a person in Sitka. It took me a couple of months to figure a way to rig hand controls in it. It also used to take a good ten minutes to get myself and my wheelchair into it. But, A: I love a challange and alot of people told me it would never work. And B: no one I could find on the net ever heard of it being done. Lots of fun with that car. But back to the Vega. From a how it looks point of view I think the Vega station wagon was a beauty. I have heard of putting other engines in them. I seem to remember the Vega had a aluminum block engine that was a piece of crap. if I am wrong I am sure that some Freeper gearhead will let me know.