Son - Get the Marlin if you must. But if it were me, I'd wait a bit and save the extra $ and get the Savage. Even if you have to put a deposit on it to hold it for a while.
Or, if that Savage looks like it was abused, keep saving and get a new one. Don't waste your money on junk. You will have a quality rifle for a long time so its worth saving for. Most shops I know will hold a gun for you if you keep making regular payments on it.