Just a quick update for those who are interested - sorry for the time that has passed. As mentioned, my next step was to have the ABS re-bled, and it did help some. I assisted the tech who did the work, by sitting in the care up on the lift, turning the key on and off, as required. He used an up-to-date Snap-On system. And he did get some additional air out...which surprised both of us.
Afterwards, the pedal did feel better, but still not great. A few nights later I had a cat run in front of me at night, so I slammed on the brakes, activating the ABS. The pedal actually improved a bit more after that.
The next thing I did was install new pads. Although the pads had about half of their life left, I recalled that the sponginess had started after installing them originally. They were carbon graphite pads (as were the new replacements), but when I attempted to bed them originally, it was raining. I assumed at the time that it shouldn't matter, but I got to thinking that perhaps new pads, bedded properly (not in the rain), would eliminate the amount of remaining sponginess. So I completed that process a few weeks ago.
Now, I can honestly say that the pedal is much better than when I started this thread. I asked the tech who did the ABS bleed what he thought after driving the car - he felt that the pedal was good. So, I've decided to drive the car like this for a while and try to be satisfied with it. The problem is that my '05 MGM still has a better pedal. So, since I can't leave well enough alone, I'll probably pick up the booster/pedal assembly I mentioned earlier from the recycler and go about installing that. Once I've done that, I'll post an update in this thread. So, I guess for now, this thread is done. Thanks to everyone for their input.
