819_ay - I've been avoiding FB like the plague since I never saw the merits of having to keep up with the joneses and waste tremendous amounts of time having to show everyone what I am doing and humblebragging, etc. But I digress and that's likely my unpopular opinion. My wife has FB, so maybe I will try to message him with her account.
earthmanjupiter - I think if I were a skilled mechanic and very versed in the vehicles I was interested in, I would feel a little less apprehensive about buying something without being able to inspect, see, or at least have more detail. If I saw one I liked stateside, I would consider driving or flying to see it firsthand and calling a mechanic friend to help or come along.
Roreri - I've lurked on here awhile and did read through your thread and enjoyed it. I don't think I ever posted, but I certainly feel like you have provided a lot of good insight of what it has been like to own a 30+ year old Japanese sports car that I have always loved (some friends would say irrationally).
simple - It certainly would be easier to deal with someone from England. I did buy JDM STi Version 7 wheels years ago for my 2002 bugeye WRX. They never imported those wheels on this side of the pond, and once I saw them in photos, I just had to have them. Subaru stud bolts leave something to be desired though. I spent most of tonight replacing a broken bolt that sheared off of my current WRX, when all I intended to do was take the wheel off to fix a tire leak that was getting progressively worse. The highlight of that whole experience was my 8-year old son telling me, "Dad, I think it's really cool that you can do all this, and that you let me help you."
I think I may just need to wait until I find something that I can look at and am comfortable with pulling the trigger on. It may take awhile since it seems the ST185s are so far and few between.