Hey guys, I figured I'd post an update:
I ended up getting a Moto 5G Stylus 2021 256GB. I found one on Craigslist where the older guy bought it thinking it would work with his carrier and he had problems with Tracfone. He waited too long to return it, so was selling it. He paid $416, so I knew it wasn't a flagship, but it looked good on paper. He asked for $300, but he didn't get much interest, so we agreed on $275.
I'm largely happy with it so far. It doesn't seem any slower than my Pixel 3. The screen is larger, but I'm getting used to it. Also, the screen has a lower resolution, but so far I'm not upset by it. I don't often use the stylus, but sometimes I play around with it, just trying to get into using it. The battery life is great! I got three days without a recharge. Granted, not all of my apps were installed, so I'm guessing that'll drop a bit once they are all running in the background sucking up juice. I still don't care if I 'only' get two days of battery life...
And, yes, I'm not bloated with uninstallable software. The O/S is largely the way it felt on the PIxel 3 and I don't have any major issues with it. I'm actually starting to use some of the gestures. I really like the chop-chop to turn on the flashlight, it is sooo much easier to use than on my Pixel 3. Another great thing is that the screen doesn't constantly turn itself on while I'm using the flashlight! My Pixel 3 would turn the screen on and blind my eyes most every time I was using the flashlight peering into the darkness with my pupils near maximum dilation.
Oh yeah, and I'm happy to say that I've added a 128GB card to my phone. Being that it is a 256GB phone, I still have plenty of room (I hadn't filled up my 128GB Pixel 3). If worse comes to worse, I'll splurge on a much bigger card and back up my photos before Google drops the resolution on everything it is storing for me.
One thing that I'm waiting to see how will pan out is that it is running Android 11. I've read some articles online, taken with a grain of salt, and they say that it'll likely get Android 12 in 2022.
So, thanks for all of the suggestions and guidance. I appreciate the help, it made my decision easier. I am very happy with the Moto 5G 2021 stylus for now.
FWIW: I did pass by a T-Mobile store, after I bought the Motorola phone. I was quite surprised to see that they had Pixel 6's on sale, regular and pro. I couldn't believe it after looking for a Pixel phone there a while ago and they weren't selling Google phones. To make matters worse, I asked the price of a Pixel 6 paying cash in full, no financing, no changing my bill around at all: less than $700! I can't believe that they are selling them for $400 off retail, but luckily I'm not regretting my Moto purchase. We will see how things go in 2022...