Welcome, gr8lite! I am fairly new to the FRGV scene myself, having bought mine in early June this year. I made a trip from Central VA to the North Side of Chicago to by mine (a distance of about 600 miles each way) but got what I wanted. If you can't find something reasonably priced and reasonably local, I would suggest having someone you trust who lives near the prospective buy take a look at it, or spend a lot of phone and e-mail time with the seller (especially getting pictures of key areas) then make a road trip out of the purchase. If you are dealing with an honest seller and buying a roadworthy camper, this can be a good shakedown cruise for it and you!
Froggie