Love the Akitas, ours is 14 years old, and she is still "queen bee" with the other dogs and the cat. Sorry to hear about the cruiser, but that is classic Akita.
If the guy let you take it for a few days, it speaks loads to the condition of the vehicle. I would definatly try to haggle him down a little though, but that's me, and I'm cheap.
I will follow this thread closely. I much preferred the manual cloth seats in my 94 to the power leather in the 96. Any aftermarket seats making headlines?