If the person actually wants to sell you the car they will a) agree to come with you to your scheduled checkover or b) let you leave something with them as collateral. If they give you some kind of round around about why you can't bring it to a shop they are lying. I've bought close to a thousand cars on craigslist the last 4 years (most don't know I'm a dealer, I just pay them and get the hell outta there). Outta that many, I've been scammed twice. Once was because I was stupid and gave someone $500 down to hold a car for 2 days. There were many signs why I shouldn't have down that. The guy was a complete clown and was pretty shady, but the car was very nice (after this all went down I'm pretty convinced it wasn't even his). I went to pick it up 2 nights later and he basically taunted me from his track phone and said he gave me a fake name and home address and said I was sol on getting my money back. Generally, you should be able to get a good gauge about the person's character by just talking to them on the phone and then meeting them in person. The only other time I was scammed was because I bought a car with frame damage. That was back before the days of carfax though. I will also note that out of all those cars I bought, nearly everyone that I've bought from has said that their car is perfect/needs nothing. This has been the case maybe 1-10% of the time. Unless you're buying an 08-11 model private party, expect to fix some things. That's why you're paying less than retail. If you don't have a mechanic that you trust/ can give you a good rate, you'll probably have to piss that money right back away in repairs. What I recommend? Research some reputable dealers in your area/ask for recommendations from people you know. Find the right vehicle. Negotiate it to a price that looks good to similar models on cars.com. NADA value is a good guide but used car prices are a little out of whack right now on especially on slightly older vehicles because of cash for clunkers. This route will save you a lot of hassle.