This has all been great info and my direction is taking shape. I can't help but be impressed with the high regard shown for the Ground Control coilovers w/ Koni yellows. It sounds like a top-quality product that will give me the look that I want, avoid needing an alignment kit, improve handling to a degree and maintain reasonable comfort. Am I right so far?

So I noticed that the GC's are available with a 0"-2.5" drop, or a .5"-3.5" drop. Would the 0-2.5 be my best option, since my goal is a 1" drop?

In parallel, I've been enjoying jesusublime99's thread about choosing a GC custom spring rate. This is what I've learned so far:

Dave: 448F/336R
Difussion3: 350F/400R
bnuk: 400F/400R (very bouncy in back!)
Das Schmoo: 350F/450R (not for everyone!)
jesusublime99: 440F/360R
james3232: 350F/400R
recommended for me: 380F/250R

That's quite a wide range of choices! Since the weight distribution on our cars is 64/36, I would think that a higher rate in the back is a very specialized application, indeed. If the standard (I believe Eibach) rates included on the GC's are 380F/250R, would that be my best option to start with?

Thanks again guys for all your help.