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I've been on both sides.
Earlier this year, I bought a '96 855t after looking for quite some time.
Considered selling a Maxima, posted an ad, got calls, then backed out 'cause
the car has been too good. Trying to sell a '91 240 instead.
Regarding a mechanic check -
Each time I was serious about buying an 855, I took it to my indy mechanic.
I would've walked away if the seller refused the mechanic check. You might be
interested in what my mechanic did, though. My mechanic gave me a printout, free of charge (!), of what he thought should be fixed, so I could take it back to the seller. Some dealers let me drive alone to the mechanic. One seller insisted he drive
it to the mechanic himself.
Perhaps you can find a mechanic that'll do a pre-purchase inspection. Many dealers do it for a fee. Do it once and show it to the potential buyer. Trick is finding a reputable shop/mechanic both sides are comfortable with. Is that a reasonable compromise? I would've been ok with it, if the seller had a report from a shop I could trust (tricky part). It'd be a real PITA to do it each time, tho.
One more option - do the reverse of what I did on the purchase. I found a car at a dealer that I liked. Test drove it and a few things were questionable. Told them I'd take it to the mechanic, and if they fix all the findings, I'd buy it. We had agreed on the price beforehand, and everything worked out fine. This way, you can weed out those that are not serious.
About test drive -
Buyers will want to test drive it. I don't know of anyone that'd buy a used car without driving it him/herself. Tell them not to abuse the car, and sit next to them during the testdrive, always. I wouldn't let my car out of sight for one second, either. (I did it for a real clunker a long time ago, though).
Hope it helps!
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