EMs are awesome! They are certainly a different kind of beast than SS games. Don't be afraid of projects. I actually learned the most on a completely seized Royal Guard and Spanish Eyes. My mindset was, it'll take time, but I'll get it going again.
Everything is right in front of you. Learn how to read a schematic (or at least stumble through it like I do )
They can be very rewarding to work on and very fun to play! They're only "slow and floaty" if they are set up that way. I tend to jack mine up in the back, fronts all the way down. Freshly waxed, with clean and rebuilt mechs and they can play plenty fast.