Buy My Home

I recently saw an ad on Madison Craigslist for a 2001 Lexus IS 300 for sale for $2,496 including shipping costs anywhere in the continental US. I contacted the seller and he e-mailed back:

“I am selling the car because I am in the army, and my unit will be deployed to Afghanistan in November. The transaction will be closed only through a 3rd party and this way we will both be protected. My time is limited due to my job in the army so I decided to use a service from ProPay. To begin the transaction I’ll need your full name and shipping address, I will forward the details of our transaction to ProPay and then you will receive an invoice from them. The car will be shipped insured to your location with DAS and you will have 5 days for inspection.” I was also told that it has 47,663 miles and what the cars Vin Number is. I checked the VIN number through CARFAX and AutoCheck vehicle history reports and everything came up clean for the most part. I’m worried that even with the “secure third party” that I will make my transaction with MoneyGram and ProPay and will not see the car. Has anyone ever purchased a vehicle/other using these?

I e-mailed the seller my husbands name and address to get the transaction started and recieved and e-mail from ProPay with the following details/instructions:
-Buyer and Seller Agree to Terms
-Both parties agree to terms of the transaction, which includes a description of the merchandise, sale price and any shipping information.
-Buyer deposit the money to ProPay using Money Gram.
-The Buyer submits a payment, selecting Money Gram to our ProPay representative from Detroit, MI.
-The Seller Ships The Vehicle
-Upon payment verification, ProPay web site is authorized to ship merchandise and submit tracking information. ProPay verifies that the Buyer receives the merchandise.
B-uyer Accepts the Merchandise
-ProPay Pays the Seller
-ProPay pays the Seller by cashier’s check, Money Gram or wire transfer. The transaction is complete. ProPay web site, an accredited company, acts as a secure third party to protect the Buyer and Seller. Using Money Gram to pay for your purchase may also expedite your transaction. Payments get there quickly, which means you may get your goods fast. Buyer and Seller will receive email confirmations, when the payment is sent. ProPay SafeHarbor takes several steps to protect both the Buyer and Seller against fraud : All shipments are tracked to ensure the Seller shipped and the Buyer received the merchandise. If the merchandise is fraudulent, it gives the Buyer the chance to return the merchandise before payment is released to the Seller.

Locate the nearest Money Gram Office.
Make the payment with cash using our agent details as receiver. E-mail us the following details from the payment receipt: Reference Number – 8 digits number from the receipt, Sender Name and Address
Receiver Name (William Preston), Amount $2,496.00
Send us the copy of the payment receipt through fax at: +1 (313) 668-6472.

I recieved the following response when I asked if my husband and I could come and look at the vehicle because we only live 2 hours away: “There is no problem from my point of view, you can come and pick it up but you should know that I’m now based in Buffalo NY and I will come home to meet you or to start the shipping process only if I have the payment confirmation from ProPay.”

Overall, do you think this is a safe deal? Or just a scam to get my money and leave me with no car? Help please!