I bought mine from a dealer because I felt better having seen and driven it. Also was a good dealer so when things went wrong with it, and they did go wrong, they fixed them all free of charge. To my knowledge they have spent about 10 or so hours on it and put in new splitfire coils (somewhere between $700 and $1000) and new platinum plugs (over $100 at least).
Now this isn't 10 grand but I felt a lot safer doing it this way. I would say that I would import my own next time, if there is a next time, but only because of the things I've learnt from this experience. So I would say that if you do it yourself you will save some money but you will pay for it with anxious moments along the way.
Mine is an auto and heaps of people like to bag me out for it but the fact is that I live in Sydney so it's worth the power loss for the convenience and comfort. The auto box takes a while to warm up and shifts very slowly when cold but once warm is lovely. I always use the tiptronic buttons on the steering wheel to change gears.
Can't advise on comparisons re 33/34 but I just couldn't bear the thought of selling a 99 model car to buy an older one.