opinions wanted; car sales gone bad

Selling a car that is "supposed" to have passed the MIV with bad tires seems a bit sketchy to me. Probably just one of many "clues" as to what really happened.

Why come on here asking for vindication if your conscience is clear?

Sounds to me like the OP found a sucker and took full advantage of it.

I agree with you only if the tires weren't talked about prior to the sale. In this case it seems the OP did in fact tell the buyer about the tires needing replaced prior to the sale. If this is the case then who cares what was on the car when inspected. If it was talked about then I see nothing wrong.