What commando?

With the exception of the scary early gussetted frames, I don't think there is such a thing as a 'bad' Commando but most years have their foibles. The 750s are a nice balanced bike with a purity of line that was later diluted but they can be a little more fragile than the later models.

I'd say that a good example of any year is better than a bad one of a specific type.

There is no doubt that a Commando that is not fully sorted is a fairly labour intensive machine. Current advice would probably be that there are better 'first' classics but many of us bought them as our first 'big' bike and survived the experience.

If you're looking to buy a restored or well kept machine then I'd suspect that there are more good 850s such as the MkIIA around. If you want to stick with a left foot shift then you're restricted to the 850 MkIII. I've got one and like it but there are those who will point out that they're heavy and slow which to an extent is probably true.