Welcome aboard Cod.
If the '57 Nomad is what you want, then that's what you should get. Don't compromise because of a false belief. There are, relatively speaking, lots of '57 Nomads out there for sale at any given time. Because of their popularity, they are a bit pricey, but all that means is you just need to save your nickles a little longer. I'd be surprised if I couldn't find 10 of them for sale on line in half an hour. My best advice to you would be to buy the absolute best one you can find, especially when it comes to rust damage and trim, both interior and exterior, that is unique to the Nomad. Rust damage is extremely time consuming to repair, very difficult for the beginner, and costly to have a pro do it. However, it can be repaired incorrectly for less. Likewise, the trim pieces can be very expensive, again because of supply and demand.

Update: Just for kicks, and probably to prove my point, I did a quick (about 4 minutes) check on three sites and found 13 for sale.

ebay 2 currently 3 closed within the last two weeks

carsonline.com 3 in stock condition 2 modified

collectorcartraderonline.com 3

and those are only three of the hundreds of sites on line that list cars for sale. You're young. Don't let negativity impede your dreams. Leave that to your college profs to suffer.