How did you come to own the car? Was this an obsession or did you happen upon it? Just concerned that you might kick yourself if you dump it. 28 is pretty young. I had mine when I was 28 and it took until I was 35 to find the right time, place, facility, money and help to get it right. Southern Georgia means the rust probably isn't getting significantly worse. If you don't have a loan on it, it's not costing you anything to own.
By the time you get the itch again, the market will have recovered and prices may have doubled even from a few years ago. The $10k you get in 2009 could cost $40 -$70k to replace in 2015.