[Ross6860]

$1500 rolling chassis even get pics where I live.

I traveled two states, by air, to pick up a car.

I had well over 100 high-res professional photos to look at before even attempting the deal.

Seller posted the photos on a photo hosting site called Photobucket. Same one I use and it is very easy and costs nothing.

You're spending what? $15k - $20k - $30k on a high-quality driver or much more on an investment grade vehicle. Damn right I expect photos. Good ones.

Long story short - I bought the car and drove it 400 miles home. The seller was, shall I say, aghast. The car hadn't been driven 400 miles in the last 4 years. No issues. Of courser we drove it around town for a couple hours running errands, gassing up, transferring title, etc., so I was pretty sure it was not going to overheat.

In any case. There were still things I found that didn't show up in photos, so you still need a professional inspection if you aren't comfortable with your own skills. I overpaid, but I wanted a very specific vehicle.

The actual seller had a car-savvy friend actually broker the deal. He picked me up at the airport and allowed me in his home as a friend. Wife made lunch, met his son who was just back from Iraq, etc. There are still great folks out there. They aren't all Craigslist killers. Oh, he was a retired LEO btw and gave me plenty of info to check him out.