He even asked if he could call to talk tonight and made sure his time zone info was correct. So far, feeling some what comfortable.
doesn't sound right, any computer savvy person can look up the time zone. I would guess it would come down to how are the funds comming. I would think a wire transfer to your bank would be the safest. Just open a new account just for that one transfer and get all the money before your car leaves home. There's some good racers in Australia, but i would guess there's also some scammers there too.
If he does call pick his brain, see what he knows about cars, that'll be a pretty hint if he's a scammer.
JMO
Zip.