RE: Narrowing Down the Options

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The Surly is your best option because;
 
It's a great price and sounds like it has many good upgrades already
It already comes with racks
You can go and see it and ride it before you buy it
If you want to upgrade or change anything the Surly takes components that are fairly modern, inexpensive, and easily obtainable
 
While I wouldn't hesitate to buy or ride an aluminum bike I'd be very careful buying a used one (or any used bike for that matter) without close examination first.
 
Lastly, building a bike up from a frame can be expensive and frustrating. You'd be better off just taking the Surly apart (at least as much as you'd care to) and putting it back together. If you feel you really need to have the experience of building a bike I wouldn't start with an old frame like that Peugeot with horizontal dropouts and probably 130mm chain stay spacing as it will be more of a headache then its worth. You'd better off starting with a Surly LHT, Soma Saga, or this BLT from Bruce Gordon.
  
http://www.bgcycles.com/blt.html
 
 
Just my $.02