I have just read through the thread and see you have made your decision! Good for you. I am still trying to decide on a carpet 18 months on from my initial decision to replace our sitting room one!
We have a pale apricot heavy-duty wool which has been down for many many MANY years and I seem to have spent many many years on hands and knees spot cleaning (mostly where Mr C spills tea and coffee as he carries it into the room, grrrr).
I bought a good quality VAX carpet cleaner and do the 'track' of dirt from door to the sofa we mostly use, quite regularly. These methods have actually kept the carpet looking remarkably good considering its age.
As we are aging, I thought I would buy a 'no-stain' carpet, as I read somewhere that these are no longer shiny 'Bri-nylon' or whatever they were originally made of. I can't find any reviews of such a product. If anyone has knowledge of a really good-looking bomb/age-proof carpet, please please post here!
Thanks and I hope your new carpet looks great, OP.