Some of your questions may or may not be in the thread, so here are a few items.
1) depends on what you mean by better. 91-92 (old 60 series engine), 93-94 (non-OBDII), 95-97 (airbags, different tranny, OBDII...starting in the late '95 models)
2) yes, wait for lockers. It's not that hard and...