Give it a go!
Just how bad is the rust situation? Just a small chip? Why not hook it up and see how you even like it before going out looking for another machine like it? While these machines are very popular but they do have their detractors. The major feature I like about it is that it heats the wash water to a preset level prior to advancing the timer so it works very nicely with today's enzyme based detergents.
If you were closer, I would take it off your hands in a heartbeat. I "sold" a KUDI-22 to a co worker who never paid me for it and he abandoned it at the house he was renting after hurricane Irma took out the house's roof and ruined their belongings. That machine washed like the dickens but now it will probably get thrown into the dumpster when the owner rehabs the house.