Similar units from the same vintage that are less likely to have their prices skyrocket:
Fluke 8840A. The predecessor to the 8842A. I think the only difference is worse accuracy (0.005% instead of 0.003% basic DC accuracy).
Keithley 199. This unit has a nicer display than the Fluke: big LEDs that do not have the same dimming that VFDs suffer from. Voltage only goes up to 300 V. Current ranges are 30 mA and 3 A, which in my opinion is nicer for electronics than 200 mA and 2 A. GPIB and AC are standard
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. Has an optional 8 channel scanner card (card that can connect the DMM to multiple points in the circuit in quick succession through relays). Basic accuracy is 0.007%.
HP 3468A/B / 3478A. These are very similar meters. The 3478A adds GPIB, a lower voltage and resistance range and better accuracy. Current range is limited to 3A. Basic accuracy is 0.018% for the 3468, and 0.006% for the 3478. The display is worse than the Fluke 884x (low-contrast LCD without backlight). I believe some people have added an improvised backlight. AC is standard, as is GPIB (on the 3478A). Current range is limited to a single 3A range. Voltage only goes up to 300 V. Dave did a teardown (and some other videos) a long time ago: