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Have you driven each of the rigs? As others have said, the ride quality varies significantly between a 60 and an 80, and there's another (albeit smaller) jump up to the 100. If you plan on traveling in the truck, I think that ride comfort should be a top priority.
The other thing you should research is gas mileage. If you want to travel in your truck, then in addition to your fixed costs for truck plus build, you will have ongoing costs to put gas in it, and maintain it. None of these options can be considered efficient, but be sure to figure out what a built version of each of these trucks can manage in mpg.
I've seen 1998-2000 vintage 100 series trucks out here for under 18k (usually 90-150k miles), so based on your criteria one of these should still be in the race, right? The up front cost might be more, but possibly less cost to build and maintain?
I dunno - given your choices, the safest thing is to pick the one in the middle (the 80). Moderate cost for the truck, top notch canvas upon which to build (except for the weight/power ratio), tons of aftermarket build options, and a world class reputation for doing exactly what you want. I think you just gotta spend a couple hours driving around in each one, and then decide for yourself what "feels right."
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