You don't need to go that far to find a good car for you. I have done it 3 times and should have stayed home twice. I limit my travels to one day round trip for cars or engines now. And about every one of my buddies has done what you were getting ready to do and none of them got what they thought they were. All the pictures in the world won't tell you enough. You have to see it, take more pictures, check every major component, walk away and think about it for a few days. Maybe leave a $500 deposit to hold for 2 weeks. You will be surprised how much a couple days will help before buying. Might even get a price drop. Never buy it the first time you see it. And don't just buy the paint job.