That does sound shady.

What does the CL ad writer mean when he says: BUT it has standard size tires (which is a good thing)? What's he talking about? Does he just mean that it has 700's instead of 650's or that the tires are not skinny but wider? Strange way to put it. If his wife is 5'3", I doubt that it could be a 52. I'm that height, and it would be a stretch for me to ride a 50 (but I know every body is different). I'd say go check it out and see if you like it in person. He doesn't say anything about the year so you could look up the specs. I wonder what the components are?
It's a pretty bike for sure, and a Trek is always a good bike.