Although all the paperwork and car/parts shuffling has yet to occur, I think this will have a happy ending, and I won't need any further offers on the car. Another mercedesshop member turned out to have been pursuing the same car -- although he had even less luck than I did in getting hooked up with the hard to reach seller -- and he and I have reached a deal where he'll tow the car to his place and keep most of it, and I will pick my few parts off it there. A win all around, I hope.