I would say it is a good practice to be cautious of anyone you do business with. I would never purchase a car sight unseen, from anyone including a friend.
One needs to note that the same type of nightmares have also come from DMCH. A lot of people are afraid to report vendor problems for fear of retribution. There is no telling what James Espey would do to my car if it ever ended up at DMCH but I'm not worried about it. My car will never go to DMCH.