Helping people sucks sometimes.

I am very sorry to hear about your troubles. I am also a trusting guy and can see myself making a similar mistake. I recently bought a 68 Dart from craigslist, seller in South Carolina, I am in Connecticut. You always take an additional risk when dealing between great distances. What I did to get some measure of protection, after talking with the seller (always try to do that, as then you get at least a phone number and conversation under your belt), is I mailed a personal check to cover the entire cost ($700 for a non running rust free 2 dr Dart) and a DMV bill of sale. I asked the seller to overnight the signed bill of sale back to me, in a pre-paid envelope I provided. If he did not do so, at least I would have time to stop payment on the check. But more importantly, if he does not consumate the transaction and tries to keep my money, it is mail fraud, a federal offense. To some this may seem untrusting, but comes from my suspicious nature after seeing the worst and best in people over a 20 yr law enforcement career. I know this does not work for small priced items, buy may be useful to some when buying a car you cannot see before hand. I will be picking up the car after the Charlotte Auto Fair next weekend. If I get screwed, it probably would not be the last time, certainly not the first. Good luck in getting squared away on your parts sale.