I would have got a deposit and a bill of sale. When I bought the 02 I gave the guy a $500 deposit, we wrote up a bill of sale at the agreed upon price of $3500, and we both signed it. Bill of sale said $500 down, $3000 due upon delivery. Seller kept the car and the title in the interim. I checked that the title was clear, the VIN matched the car, the address matched the mailbox, and that the name matched his DL. So I have a receipt for my $500, the price is locked in, and if I back out of the sale he keeps my $500.
Went back the following week with a trailer and got the car, gave him the rest of the cash and got the signed title.
Hope your sale goes thru, that's a nice price for an '01.
