At the moment ( and for the previous few years), I've been on a tribute kick, meaning getting a hold of some of the instruments associated with those that inspired me to play.
Look is important, as I often play with trib shows.
Number of strings is largely irrelevant to me. 4's are king though
Colour isn't particularly important either, but I have ended up with a lot of black instruments lol
Feel is the most important things once I can my hands on the instrument. If it feels rough, or has issues I know can't be fixed, then I'm out