"descretion is the better part of valor"
In hindsight, and as I got caught in the middle of this, I would advise that anyone looking to buy a particular car, regardless where it is, be very descreet about it.
I think that if Jason had PM'd me first, we wouldn't be having this conversation. There is this unwritten rule that when you post something on the internet, that it's all there for the world to see, and "all bets are off".
I feel that despite whomever starts the thread, when you're flashing around stuff about a car you want, you draw a lot of unwanted attention, whether you intended it or not. All "courtesy" and "respect" suddenly does not apply. Anyone who reads this, and is not even a member of the site, could have tried to contact the owner.
For the record, the call that I mentioned from the "Northeast" was from someone that I did not know anything about. The owner told me about it on the phone. I was, frankly, kinda p.o'd about the invasion of his privacy.
There was another person interested in the car, and they PM'd me first a few days ago, and was thoughtful enough to say that if Jason didn't want the car, that he'd be interested in it. That gave me the option of not having to make an immediate choice. Of course, the car is not available, and so, all of this is now history.
I think that the lesson here is to not be too flambouyant about your intentions--especially on the 'net. I'm not inviting anyone to PM me about potential GT/CSs for sale, but there are routes to go to get what you might want. This thread was not one of them. I think we can now move on from this...
Paul N.