[husker boxster]

Expanding your range to find a car will really open up your options. I'm a hobbyist Wheeler Dealer, buying & selling late model Boxsters & Caymans. The cars I buy to sell are always out of state. I will fly in and drive it home. I'm in Neb and have gone as far away as LA and Philly for cars. Granted, the cars I buy are 5-10 yrs old, not 20, but the only issue I've ever had are oil overfills (twice sellers had overfilled). Doing a road trip is a great way to get to know your car.

If you find a car that's within driving distance in another state, enlist a friend and go on a road trip to buy it. That way you have a backup vehicle if your Box has an issue. If you're buying from out of state, defn have a PPI done.

When I'm buying a car, I generally pay by cashier's check. Ask if the seller will do that. When I'm selling a car, I ask if the buyer has a branch of their bank in my town. If they do, I pick him / her up at the airport and we go to their bank, where they draw a cashier's check. That way I know it's good. If they don't have a branch in town, then we go to my bank and do a wire-to-wire bank transfer. This is more complicated due to the rules of banks (late afternoon transfers may not go thru til next day, no Sat transfers, etc), but it is non-disputable. No doubt on the money and it's not reversible.

Absolutely validate the VIN on the title with the vehicle. Then be VERY careful when writing the mileage in on the title. My DMV rejected a title because they couldn't tell if one of the # was a 4 or 7. This was from the car from LA and I had quite a few sleepless nights getting a new title from the previous owner.