I'm not familiar with Australian market conditions, but the mileage alone wouldn't necessarily deter me. However, the possiblity of collision damage is a large red flag, and I wouldn't proceed further without getting a reliable answer to that question.

Most important is the inspection issue. Your laws may differ, but here in the US I've been offered the chance to take a car to a mechanic of my choice for inspection, and even had a dealer offer to get the car there himself; I assume that your reference to a tow truck relates to legal requirements you face. Having said that, my key point is that I would NEVER (screaming caps intended ) buy the car you're looking at without a professional inspection. Assume you pay $400 total for the process, then think of the ways that you could be hit for substantially more than that for repair of one problem only, and rate the odds. In fifteen seconds, I've thought of at least five ways you could spend over $1000. As has been oft repeated, "There's no more expensive car than a cheap Mercedes."

__________________
Craig Bethune

'97 SL500, 40th anniversary edition

'04 Olds Bravada (SWMBO's)
'06 Lexus ES330
'89 560SL (sold)


SL--Anything else is just a Mercedes.
(Kudos to whoever said it first)