Assuming that all is acceptable with the RIV, then what?

We would recommend that you arrange a full mechanical (and coach equipment inspection if an RV) on the vehicle. Be very careful about this for a number of reasons. Firstly, many businesses in the U.S. do not operate as honestly as businesses up here in Canada. They also know that once you buy the vehicle and they have your money and you are on the road or are back in Canada, if something goes wrong, you can't get a refund from them and you can't take legal action against them. So quite often, they will "fake" an inspection, knowing that you can't really use it against them later on. And because of the larger population base down there and the distance from where you are, you probably can't do much to hinder their sales or damage their reputation. They always know that another "sucker" is right around the corner.

You may not be aware of this, but Salvage (insurance write-offs) are not handled the same way as they are in Canada. Provincial Governments take steps to make sure that total-loss vehicles are properly disclosed to potential buyers and actually mark the vehicle by a code in the serial number. In the U.S., this doesn’t happen, so quite often, you may be buying junk that has been patched or cleaned and it doesn’t show as a write off anywhere. And with the number of hurricanes, tornadoes and floods that take place in the U.S. each year, the potential of purchasing a “problem” is greatly increased.

Some people will buy a “Car-Fax Report” (www.carfax.com) which is always a great thing to do for only $30.00, but this is not a guaranteed document. If the vehicle was damaged and a claim was not made by the owner, or if the insurer didn’t file a report with Car-Fax, or Car-Fax made a mistake in logging the report, there will not be a record with them. None-the-less, many crooks/sellers have ways to cover up and hide damages that won’t come to light until the vehicle is thousands of miles away from them and you are stuck with many repairs.

Also, when you return home, the vehicle will have to undergo two different inspections, one for the RIV to make sure that it meets import standards and the other for the provincial government to make sure that it is safe. The RIV inspection is a pain, but not difficult if you have complied with all the regulations stated by the RIV. The provincial inspection however, is another matter. Most inspection centres will inevitably find that a used vehicle will require work. On average, the cost of bringing a used vehicle up to provincial standards is about $1,500.00, because they look at everything. Brakes, struts, shocks, air bags, accident damage that may be covered up, loose wiring, cracked glass, etc. If anything is not to an acceptable standard, it will have to be replaced with NEW OMG (original Manufacturing) parts that will no doubt be very costly.