1996 Buick Roadmaster Distributor/Fuel issue

Car will not start:

we're getting some spark and we are definitely getting fuel from the tank. Spray ether got the car started for a few seconds and then it conked out again. The repair place quoted us $1100 for repair--distributor cap, coil and water pump. Note: there was a coil wire that had broken inside the distributor socket which I cleaned out. Spark is shooting from this area. We then hooked up a spark plug and set it near a bolt. We could see spark there as well. It seems to be getting fuel. The pump is running and it was shooting fuel from the filter too.

Is it possible to have too low of a spark to start and keep the engine running? Can a distributor get corroded and still spark but not have enough juice to start? What other options can I try to pinpoint the main issue? I am at a loss here. Thanks.