There was more to this story that wasn't mentioned.. The other person had already put a deposit on the car. Your offer was contingent upon the other falling through, which at the time we spoke, looked like it was going to..I wasn't trying to play any games, there was a lot of shuffling around with the original buyer that screwed things up. Additionally, after all of that BS, he listed the car on Craigslist and sold it the next day for $200 more than he paid for it..
Very sorry for the inconvenience and any trouble that it caused you. That was a painful deal on many levels it seems..
As far as the tubing goes, 1.75"x.095 wall DOM is what you should build your cage out of if you're planning on rallying it at some point. As far as cage builders in your area, Dave Clark (near Seattle)is one of the best up there. His # is 425-221-2470. Great guy, great cage builder, highly recommend him.