Probable new owner 2001 CLK 430 Cabrio

Hell. My name is Bruce and I am in the processof bidding on a 2001 CLK 430 Cabrio. I live in Virginia and the car is in Los Angeles. Toying with the idea of flying out and driving back the car (3000+ miles) Of course it woud be easier and most likely cheaper to ship, but wold make a wonderful sight-seeing adventure. Should I be scared to drive a car I have not owned before cross-country? I have never purchased a vehicle sight unseen and had it shipped, so I'm a tad learyof that as well. The current owner has sooo many pictures. Onlt thing is he sells all cars "As is" which is pretty commin on Ebay. The only flaw I can see in the photos is the dreaded missing pixels on the dash digital display for clock and temp. I have read a few DIYs on this issue.

I would love to hear from fellow members that own this car and/or have purchased sight unseen. What questions to ask; shoudl I buy an extended warranty; car has 45,000 miles...shouldn't be much that has failed?; etc.

I am past Vice President of the Virginia Jaguar Club and a DIYer. I hope I can shed some light on issues I experienced with European electrical issues, (Jag had Lucas electronics ("Prince of Darkness"). Looking forward to browsing and contributing to the forums.