Very true.
My 1991 wagon is a good example of why you shouldn't fall in love with a car on Ebay.
I've put about $6K into it over three years, ... and now it needs more front suspension work...

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

fleaBay really isn't the right marketfor these kind of cars, they are common enough to see everywhere with a little effort. fleaBay is so easy you get on the computer and it's there. well, sorry but it really is buyer beware, you buy a car sight unseen then it's really silly to complain to the seller. appreciate the car and get things fixed up on it like you're doing. these guys have suggested a lot of good stuff. i wish you the best and save fleaBay for when you are buying that w198 that you can't find around town.

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PagodaLOVER
1967 230SL, manual
1959 180D, manual

What you say is partially true. Unfortunately, I live in the Great Pacific Northwest where the concentration of biodiesel users/brewers/enthusiasts is probably greater than anywhere in the country, so finding a decent deal on a diesel is damned hard.
The good news is once I get this thing sorted out, it shouldn't be a problem selling it locally.

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1982 Silver 300DT

Such risks have always come with used cars. Not being able to inspect a car in person increases those risks dramatically.

Even when one can put eyeballs on a car in person, an independent inspection is a great idea if it can practically be arranged. This isn't always possible; sometimes an opportunity presents itself where one has to strike while the iron is hot.

I was recently reminded of the importance of a PPI when a coworker told me about a car he had purchased from a fly-by-night used car lot. He's not a dummy, but he just wasn't cautious enough this time, and he got burned. Even a rudimentary PPI would have revealed some nutty undercar damage that had been patched up with a spit-and-baling-wire repair. There's no cheap fix for it, he didn't discover it immediately, and the car lot just says, "too bad".