You definitely should be able to inspect it before purchase. I sympathize, though, because I was very excited to get into a TM and saw one on eBay that looked so good. DH set his foot down and said no way was he buying anything he couldn't see and run systems in first.
It took a few months, but we finally found exactly what we wanted in our state, and even though we had to make a couple trips, we scored big! We got a lot of help from experienced owners here on the forum and got a good deal on a great trailer. Turns out DH was right, there is a lot to look at before you buy.
You ought to let us on this forum know where you are looking, and we could let you know if we see any advertised in that area. This site is such a great resource for owners (and future owners) of the wonderful TrailManor -- and we're all pretty friendly and helpful, if I do say so myself.