That is a HIGHLY modified car. I hope you have had it checked out. It also sounds like a good deal. Why not contact the Arizona VCA president and get a reference on the seller. If he owns three cars he is probably well known out there. Or ask here if anyone knows of him. If money is no objbect I might retain an attorney out there to handle the transfer and escrow the money. But the best thing to do is pre arrange shipping, fly there for just one day, give him his check, get the title and deliver the car yourself to the shipper. If the title is not clear the following has worked for me. Make two checks out, one to the lender for the amount to clear the title and the remainder to the seller. In the sellers presence place the title (signed off by the seller) and the check to pay off the balance in a fed ex envelope addressed to the lender, place another prepaid, preaddressed to you fed ex envelope inside the first, enclose instructions to the lender as to the fact that the car is being paid off and that all title paerwork should be forwarded to you. Contact his lender YOURSELF to get an accurate verified payoff before doing this, be careful that a payment date is not appraoching as that would change the number upwards if you roll through that date. Give the seller the other check for the balance. Take possesion of the car and deliver yourself to shipper, make sure you are using one with a warehouse to store the car until it ships, insured, bonded etc. Cab back to the airport, back home that night.
