Welcome to the forum and good luck with your project!
"I'm assuming it's the fuel distributor."
It may or may not be as simple as you assume.
See if you can get more info from the PO. What other incidents led up to the no-start condition? Any maintenance records? And most important: when was the timing belt last changed?
Car sitting 15 years WILL need a timing belt. Which requires special tools and procedures, so start gathering now.
Here is some helpful reading materials for you:
Died while running, will not restart
https://d24t.com/showthread.php?t=1942
Hard Starting
https://d24t.com/showthread.php?t=1225
D24 Special Tools
https://d24t.com/showthread.php?t=1299