buying a car

Need some advice on buying a car in a different state.

I found the car I want to buy from a private seller however the car is located about 3 hrs away and is in a different state. I would like to finance the car since rates are so low right now. So here is the problem. I went to look at the car and everything checks out to what its suppose to be. I left the seller a deposit so he knows I'm serious about buying and he could pay off his loan and get the lien off the title. Now for the tricky parts. The seller doesn't want to give me the car or the title without having the check from my bank clear and all funds are in his account first. From a sellers point of view I understand this. As a buyer I do not want to do this because what if he walks with my money and I never hear from the guy again? Or what if he beats on the car or changes things on the car (for the worse) that were there when I first looked at it.... Now he has my money and its a totally different car upon pick up. Has anyone ever dealt with before? Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks in advance