So I think this episode of long-distance car shopping has come to an end... they couldn't/didn't want to get the car delivered to be inspected. We talked several times and the seller did not want to get the tags for the car from local DMV ($6.00) nor split the cost of a tow to get the car inspected ($50 each).... so I had no choice but to cancel the deal and walk... At the end there was something 'fishy' about it. C'est la vie - no skin of my back, just a lot of phone calls and wasted time I guess, but I did learn few valuable lessons along the way...

If you're still reading this 'blog' about my long-distance-fiasco - thanks all for all your useful comments and suggestions.

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1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K