That would of been me...
Escrow.com has been around for a very long time and they're safe to use. I used them years ago when I purchased someones 911 project from the east coast.
My best advice is to really make sure you've gotten enough info to feel comfortable that this is the car you really want. Lot's of pictures and lots of details! If the car ends up being a total basket case it'll still end up costing you some money or a lot of time in negotiation with the seller to reach an agreement. So get all the details taken care of before you enter into an escrow agreement.
Always remember, a seller that won't give you the pictures you ask for or has a problem using an escrow service (as long as you are paying the fees) then they probably have something to hide. It's safer for buyer and the seller.
Sometimes it's cheaper to just hop on a plane and check it out yourself, at the time of my purchase I didn't have that option and a friend told me about them. My transaction went smoothly, buyer was paid what he wanted and I got what I was expecting and then some.
Here's more info on how it's done.
https://www.escrow.com/solutions/vehicle/index.asp